After three recent live BPs, Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is expected to be cleared to make his first rehab start for the Low-A Tarpons on Tuesday night in Tampa.
That news is coming shortly.
Perhaps Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Yankees needed another fill-in starter after learning this week that Clarke Schmidt had been out for 4-to-6 weeks due to a lat strain.
RESTORING GLORY
Manager Aaron Boone had already stated that right-hander Cody Poteet will most likely be called up from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and the Yankees confirmed this on Saturday.
Poteet made Schmidt’s start against the Giants on Saturday night and will most likely remain in the rotation until the Yankees’ reigning Cy Young winner returns. Poteet, 29, had not pitched since May 19 due to a blister, but he was good throwing bullpens this week and was set to make a Triple-A start on Friday.
The Yankees have not divulged Cole’s plans yet, but if he makes four rehab starts, his season debut might be on June 25 in a Subway Series game against the Mets at Citi Field.
If Cole makes five rehab starts, his first game with the Yankees might be June 30 at Toronto.
Boone hopes Poteet will step in and contribute, like he did in April when he was called up to make a pinch start for Cleveland. That day, he allowed one run over six innings in Game 2 of a doubleheader, which the Yankees won 8-2.
Poteet went 3-0 with a 4.05 ERA in seven Triple-A starts. After missing most of 2022 and 2023 due to injury, he became a free agent last winter and signed with the Yankees in January on a one-year contract worth $750,000.
“He can pitch,” Boone explained. “Very excellent changeup. When he did come up, it was obviously a great performance for us against Cleveland. We were pleased to have him this winter. He’s another person who has recently returned from injury. He missed the most of last year and a little portion of the previous year, so he’s someone we value and believe can help us.
“I believe what we saw from him in the spring, even though he did not make the team, made us think, ‘Man, he’s going to help us at some point.'” He surely has, and hopefully this will continue.”
The Yankees optioned reliever Cody Morris to make room for Poteet. The righty was promoted from Triple-A on Thursday when Schmidt was placed on the 15-day injured list, but he did not appear in a game during his two-day stint with the Yankees.
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