Yankees, Gerrit Cole
AP

Gerrit Cole, the reigning AL CY Young pitcher and New York Yankees ace’s durability, was put to the test for the first time in many years. He felt banged up in the spring and was diagnosed with nerve elbow inflammation on his pitching elbow. However, luckily, Cole avoided a UCL tear.

As that would have shut him down for the season. That being said, Gerrit Cole has been under rehab for over a month now. He resumed throwing activities last week and has been ramping up nicely without any setbacks. And skipper Aaron Boone’s latest update suggests that Cole’s return could be just around the corner.

   

Gerrit Cole Throws From 120 Feet In Big Recovery Step!

Gerrit Cole, Yankees
Credit: Getty Images

The New York Yankees are missing their ace Gerrit Cole dearly this MLB season. Cole is placed on 60-day IL with nerve inflammation injury. Fortunately, the club’s swift response helped the pitcher avoid the Tommy John surgery, meaning the return window is still available for the ace. While his return timeline won’t be activated until the last week of May, the pitcher has struck around with the team and is continuing his rehabilitation on the sidelines. In a recent sign of encouragement, Cole resumed throwing last week, days after playing catch earlier this month. And on Tuesday this week, the reigning AL CY Young champ made 50 throws from 120 feet, which is the farthest for a rehabbing pitcher.

Further elaborating on the status of the progress, Yankees skipper Aaron Boone revealed that Gerrit Cole could commence throwing from the mound by next week. He feels the pitcher has come way far along and has been pretty aggressive while throwing. While he won’t step on the mound immediately, next week’s window is open for Cole to take the next big step toward return. Speaking of return, Cole does not have a timeline to offer just yet. “Still trying to kind of figure that out, because it’s not like the down time was down time,” Cole said. He added that after he goes through this week, he would have a proper idea of where he stands in his present rehabilitation program. Overall, while Gerrit isn’t eligible to return until May 27, he surely will require longer than that to attain complete fitness.

DJ LeMahieu Exits Yankees Rehab Game With Foot Soreness!

Yankees, DJ LeMahieu
Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images

In a major disappointment coming from Yankees minor leagues, DJ LeMahieu, who was sent down with Somerset Patriots for a rehab assignment, exited his first rehab game in the second innings. LeMahieu, recovering from foot contusion, commenced his rehab assignment on Tuesday, after a delay of few days from the original schedule.

However, DJ LeMahieu could barely last for a couple of innings before the Patriots pulled him out with foot soreness. He played only one at-bat and suffered soreness in the injured foot, after which the team removed him prematurely. It would be interesting to see how LeMahieu recovers from this setback and if he will be able to return at all this year.

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