A much-needed happy news is here for the New York Yankees. Even though the team has been excelling without their ace Gerrit Cole, they know that their chances of winning go exponentially higher with the latter on the field. To his credit, Cole has almost been a coach to the pitching staff during his injury rehab. But now the star is slowly making his way back to the mound and he has taken a huge step towards that direction.

Until now, the star had been throwing from a flat ground. However, the Yankees’ ace has revealed that he has started his pitching practice. Per ESPN, Cole threw 29 pitches on Saturday in his third bullpen session since his elbow injury in Spring Training. Of those 29 pitches, 13 were curveballs and his fastball touched 89 mph before the Bronx Bombers played the Tampa Bay Rays. Cole is surely looking to pay off that $36 million salary from the Yankees.

“Fastballs profiles were good, location was good. Velocity was where we wanted. A lot of strikes,” Gerrit Cole said after his session. However, the ace wasn’t sure how many sessions he’d take before facing the hitters. But the Cy Young winner did reveal that he’d be simulating two innings in his next outings. 

“We’re making good process (there),” Gerrit Cole said after his session. The 33-year-old is currently on a 60-day IL due to his elbow inflammation. That has effectively put his debut off to at least June. However, with progress like this, his comeback continues to look imminent. It’d be a huge boost for the New York Yankees if their ace returns without many hiccups.

However, this isn’t the only good news that the Bronx Bombers got related to injuries. There’s a whole lot of players who could be returning soon.

Gerrit Cole and others progress well for a Yankees return 

Reliever Tommy Kahnle struck out one during his Single-A Tampa stint. Out for a hurt right shoulder, Kahnle will be moving on to the Double-A Somerset on Tuesday. Similarly, DJ LeMahieu, who has been out with a right foot injury, has started taking live batting practice. JT Brubaker, another injured pitcher, conducted that batting practice for the star. 

So things are looking quite good for the Yankees. Though they lost their game against the Rays, the team remains 26-15. Adding to that, with their ace and other players showing positive improvements, the Bronx Bombers might be getting ready to take the next step.