The New York Yankees were dealt a brutal injury blow to Gerrit Cole prior to Opening Day. But as the Yankees set their sights on winning a World Series, Cole could make his return potentially earlier than expected.
The right-hander is expected to begin playing catch on Monday or Tuesday, via the Associated Press. Cole is battling through an elbow injury, although there is no damage to his UCL.
On the 60-day injured list, Cole is eligible to return on May 27. It may take some extra time, as for as much as New York wants him on the mound, they won't risk a re-injury. Still, the fact that Cole is at least going to begin throwing, showing his rehab is heading in the right direction.
Cole has gone on record stating that June 1 is the date he is aiming for to return on. With almost two months to prepare, the right-hander will focus on rehabbing and hope to soon progress to mound work. He will closely monitored as Cole's health will be one of the biggest stories in New York throughout the season.
It's just one step, but the right-hander has at least gotten closer to making his eventual return.
Yankees counting on Gerrit Cole
With Cole out of the picture, New York's pitching rotation has been able to put up a 3.07 ERA, the eighth-best in MLB. Marcus Stroman and Carlos Rodon have led the way, with impressive 0.00 and 2.79 ERA's respectively. Still, New York knows their rotation hits an entire new gear with Cole in the mix.
Since joining the team in 2020, Cole has put up a 51-23 record with a 3.08 ERA and a 816/156 K/BB ratio. He has been an All-Star every year since 2021 and won the AL Cy Young in 2023. Cole threw to a 15-4 record with a 2.63 ERA and a 222/48 K/BB ratio.
Over his entire MLB career, Cole has thrown to 145-75 record with a 3.17 ERA and a 2,152/471 K/BB ratio. He is a six-time All-Star and claimed the ERA title twice.
Barring a playoff or season-ending injury, the timing of Cole's elbow issues couldn't be worse for New York. Aaron Boone has said that winning a World Series is his only focus in 2024. Coming off of completely missing the playoffs in 2023, that mantra is held by the entire Yankees organization, who is looking to immediately get back into contention.
Gerrit Cole will only get them closer to their goal. New York will have to wait a little longer before they see the right-hander pitching in Yankee Stadium. But progress has been made and Cole appears to be on track to make his return on schedule.
It's a return all of New York, and the entire league, will have their eyes on. It's also a return Cole is working his hardest to make, beginning with playing catch in the coming weeks.
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