Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, who left Tuesday’s game early due to a minor hamstring injury, played catch on Thursday as he works his way back.
Speaking before Thursday’s game, manager Aaron Boone said Cole is “pretty confident” he’ll be able to pitch early next week, which will depend on when he throws his bullpen session.
Boone said that “if all goes well,” Cole could slot back into the rotation this coming Monday against the Minnesota Twins or Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles.
Cole returning on Monday or Tuesday would mean that he misses the weekend series against the Mets at Citi Field. Cole had initially been slated to start the series finale on Sunday night.
After Tuesday’s game, Cole was non-committal about making his next start, but was cautiously optimistic.
“It’s tough to say right now. I’m obviously disappointed about the outcome of today, but I kind of want to reserve judgment until we see how this thing kind of reacts the next 24, 36 hours,” Cole said. “I guess maybe even for my own mentality, I want to make sure I am good if I’m good, or if I need a few extra days, I need a few extra days.”
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].