Caleb Bonemer took Gerrit Cole deep during the second at-bat of his rehab assignment with High-A Hudson Valley. The New York Yankees ace drilled him just a few innings later.
Was it on purpose?
There is no way to know whether the Major League Baseball ace intentionally let one slip but the optics are not in his favor. Especially when he refused to apologize.
Gerrit Cole is back on the bump.
Cole underwent Tommy John surgery on March 11, 2025. The procedure ended his year before it began. The 35-year-old did not throw a single for the Yankees during the 2025 regular season.
As things currently stand, he is on track to return to the lineup at the end of this month or early next. New York does not want to rush him back before he is ready.
Gerrit Cole began his rehab assignment in the middle of April with the club’s Double-A affiliate. He’s allowed six runs in 18 2/3 innings so far. Could be worse. Could (maybe should?) be much better.
It takes time to work back from Tommy John! It is not yet time to hit the panic button.
However, his latest start was a pretty big problem.
Cole did not allow a walk and recorded four strikeouts in 4.1 innings but he gave up seven hits, five earned runs (two home runs) on 69 pitches. Oh, and this was on the High-A level. Not good.
Even more embarrassing was his behavior. Cole, who is often labeled as a salty cry baby, showed his frustration in his body language. You can feel it. Even in still photos from the game.
There was also an incident during the bottom of the fifth inning.
Did he hit Caleb Bonemer on purpose?
Caleb Bonemer was drafted by the Chicago White Sox with the No. 43 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. The 20-year-old currently plays for the High-A affiliate Winston-Salem Dash. He stands 6-foot-1, 195 pounds. He is hitting .297 with 12 home runs and 28 RBI in 101 at-bats this season.
One of those home runs was off of Gerrit Cole on Tuesday night. Bonemer took him way deep on the second at-bat of the game. (He also recorded a single just a few innings later.)
Caleb Bonemer takes former Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole WAY out at High-A 🚀
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 5, 2026
The @whitesox third-ranked prospect pulls into a tie for the 2026 Minors HR lead (12).
See what else he and @WSDashBaseball have in store FREE: https://t.co/7xBadLh8HR pic.twitter.com/KWFDUCnxGQ
That leads us to the bottom of the fifth. Cole plunked Bonemer.
Gerrit Cole didn't care to see Caleb Bonemer go 3-3, so he just hit him. #Dash pic.twitter.com/GuUVYlEKtM
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) May 5, 2026
White Sox fans are convinced it was on purpose and, to be fair, the optics certainly aren’t great. Cole did not show any remorse. The pitch was nowhere close to the zone. It went right at Bonemer.
Was it intentional? Let me know your thoughts at Grayson@brobible.com!