Gerrit Cole takes another good step with strong rehab outing as Yankees return inches closer

BALTIMORE — Gerrit Cole still needs at least one or two more rehab starts before he might be ready to rejoin the Yankees.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.

But before Ryan Weathers made a case for keeping his rotation spot once Cole returns, potentially by the end of this month, Aaron Boone watched his ace’s latest rehab start Monday morning and came away impressed.Cole built up to 77 pitches across five innings with Double-A Somerset on Sunday night while striking out eight.“Really good,” Boone said before a 3-2 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards.

“Ripped his last heater 99 [mph] for another punch.I thought [Sunday] — working on things every time prior, and not that he wasn’t [Sunday], but I think it was a little more of a competitive Gerrit trying to get outs.

I thought he threw the ball really well.Stuff was really good.

Another good step for him.”Across five rehab starts so far, Cole has shown strong command — which is often the last thing to come back for pitchers returning from Tommy John — walking only two batters while striking out 22.“I think that’s in a pretty good place,” Boone said.“I think he probably stuff-wise ramped it up maybe even another notch [Sunday].

Hopefully now as he continues to build his pitch count, he can continue to do that through his next couple.”Once Cole finishes off his comeback from Tommy John surgery, the Yankees could have a tough decision on their hands for how to open a rotation spot, with both Weathers and Will Warren pitching well.Weathers took his latest shot Monday, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning before giving up two runs in 6 1/3 innings while lowering his ERA to 3.00.“Just felt like I was competing in the strike zone really well, still had a few walks [three] which I wish I could take back,” Weathers said.Two weeks after an MRI revealed his low-grade right calf s...