Gerrit Cole made his return to the mound in a rehab start Tuesday at Double-A Somerset and looked like his old self.

Cole threw 3 innings against the Hartford Yard Goats, allowing zero runs, no walks and two hits and striking out five.

The New York Yankees ace threw 45 pitches, which was right in line with the 40-50 Somerset manager Raul Dominguez planned to hold Cole to heading into the game. Of those 45 pitches, 34 went for strikes, and his fastball sat between 94 and 96 mph.

“It felt really great to get back out there, get back in the flow of things, get some adrenaline,” Cole said afterward.

Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, hasn’t pitched for the Yankees this season after being shut down during spring training due to right elbow inflammation.

Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 25th home run with a 436-foot, two-run drive into the fountain behind the center-field seats, and the New York Yankees routed the Kansas City Royals 10-1 on Tuesday night for their 11th win in 14 games.

Giancarlo Stanton followed Judge in the seventh with a 446-foot shot to center against reliever Nick Anderson for his 16th home run of the season. Austin Wells hit a three-run homer in a four-run fourth off starter Brady Singer.

Back in the lineup after his first game off this season, Judge hit his 21st homer in his last 41 games and also singled in New York’s first run. Judge raised his average to .309 and is hitting .419 with 44 RBI in his last 35 games after batting .197 through May 2.

“I’m trying not to take that for granted. It’s a lot of fun to witness and to watch what he’s doing on a nightly basis,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. 

Kraft Heinz has introduced NotHotDogs and NotSausages, marking the first plant-based offerings from Oscar Mayer. These new products aim to cater to the growing demand for flavorful plant-based foods in the United States.

The plant-based market in the United States is predicted to surge from $8.3 billion in 2023 to $19 billion by 2030. Despite this growth, plant-based hot dogs and sausages remain relatively untapped due to dissatisfaction with existing options’ taste and texture. In response, Kraft Heinz has launched new Oscar Mayer NotHotDogs and NotSausages, available in Bratwurst and Italian sausage flavors, to fill this gap in the market.

The introduction of Oscar Mayer NotHotDogs and NotSausages represents the Kraft Heinz’s dedication to swiftly bringing innovative plant-based products to market. This launch adds to their expanding plant-based portfolio, which includes Kraft NotMac&Cheese, Kraft NotCheese Slices, and NotMayo. Looking ahead, The Kraft Heinz Not Company plans to enter additional categories and expand internationally.