The Yankees’ 12-2 loss to the Mets on Saturday left plenty to sort through, but Gerrit Cole’s latest start is the part that will linger. The right-hander was on the mound waiting until the clock hit 1:38 p.m.
ET before throwing his first pitch, and Francisco Lindor greeted him with a leadoff homer. From there, the afternoon kept slipping away.
Cole gave up two more home runs and was finished after 4 1/3 innings. He allowed five earned runs on nine hits, struck out four, and has now surrendered six homers over his last nine innings pitched.
For a pitcher who has been strong in his first 20 starts since Tommy John surgery, the warning signs are hard to ignore. He’s giving up too much hard contact, too many balls are leaving the yard, and the swing-and-miss stuff hasn’t been there often enough.
That matters because the Yankees are heading toward October with questions about who should get the ball. Cole’s track record against the Mets is rough - an 8.49 ERA in 10 starts - and Boston has also given him trouble, with a career 5.30 ERA in 20 starts against the Red Sox. If the Yankees do reach the Wild Card round and draw New York’s archrival, there’s at least a case for keeping Cole rested until the ALDS.
The organization also had a former prospect change hands on Saturday. Chase Hampton, once the Yankees’ sixth-round pick in 2022 and at one point their No. 7 prospect, was claimed off waivers by the Nationals after being designated for assignment last week when Aaron Judge came off the injured list. Hampton had been working back from Tommy John surgery, but his climb had stalled, and he never got above High-A.
Washington has now taken another pitcher from the Yankees’ orbit, following the group that ended up there in the Luis Garcia Jr. trade: Jake Bird, Yovanny Cruz, Ben Grable and Jack Cebert. Hampton’s exit also opened a door in the prospect rankings, with MLB Pipeline moving Yostin Pena up to No. 15.
As for Clarke Schmidt, his return is starting to come into focus. Aaron Boone said the right-hander will get one more rehab outing before possibly joining the Yankees on their road trip against the Twins and Diamondbacks. Schmidt made a strong case on Saturday, striking out three of the four batters he faced in his fifth rehab appearance, while working 1.1 innings without allowing a hit, run or walk.
The plan appears to be a bullpen role once he’s activated, which makes sense given the state of the relief group. Schmidt could give the Yankees multiple innings and help cover some of the burden on the high-leverage arms.
Still, this comes with obvious risk. He’s coming off Tommy John surgery, has appeared in just 30 games since the start of 2024, and has only thrown 5 2/3 innings during rehab.
The upside is real, but so are the questions.
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