Defending AL CY Young pitcher, Gerrit Cole has managed to grab more headlines this season despite being on 60-day IL with nerve elbow inflammation injury. The New York Yankees ace has missed action since the Grapefruit League and is nowhere close to an imminent return.
While Gerrit Cole avoided a Tommy John injury scare, his non-surgical rehabilitation is taking longer than previously expected. In a recent encouraging step, Cole pitched for the first time from the mound. He immediately updates the reporters on his status after the session and reveals that he does miss pitching a lot.
Gerrit Cole Undergoes Successful Live Pitching Session
With his initial return timeline expiring by the end of the month, New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is pushing hard to adhere to the timeline. Cole was shut down for four whole weeks following nerve inflammation diagnosis and only resumed pitching in mid-April. Yet it took him three additional weeks to finally resume pitching from the mound. Cole pitched from the mound last Saturday and had a light throwing day. He spoke to the reporters after the session and stated that he missed pitching. This is the most he has pitched in the past couple of months, and it was a good session overall. However, Gerrit Cole was non-committal of a return timeline and refused to share further details of his tentative return schedule.
Meanwhile, Yankees manager Aaron Boone shared light on Gerrit Cole’s progress and referred to his latest session as a major step in getting him back. Boone added that Cole is a committed pitcher, and he’s good at his job. The whole rehabilitation process was calculated, and he’s glad that Cole was able to take this crucial step over the weekend. “Glad we were able to get to this point today. Onward and upward,” said Boone. However, despite encouraging signs, Gerrit Cole is most likely to jump his May 27 timeline as his six-week spring build-up is still underway. With Cole, a CY Young caliber pitcher, the New York Yankees would avoid risks and wait until the pitcher is fully healthy and fit to pitch a deep start from the mound. That does not seem to happen until the first week of June, to say the least, as Cole’s wait is anticipated to extend further.
Cole Likely To Eye Mid-June Return!
Gerrit Cole was fired up on Saturday morning as he threw 15 pitches from the mound for the first time since elbow injury. He was elated to resume pitching after nearly two months. However, Cole’s imminent return does not seem to be on the cards. As per rumors, Yankees are eyeing mid-June as an idea return window for the reigning AL CY Young pitcher.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic suggested All-Star break as probable return window as Gerrit Cole’s six-week spring build up is pending. However, the New York Yankees have so far been non-committal. Manager Aaron Boone insists that he wants to look after Cole’s day to day progress and not jump the gun just yet.
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