Things are looking up for the New York Yankees, and with that fans rejoice! Ace pitcher Gerrit Cole is making significant strides in his recovery from elbow inflammation. Cole who was sidelined mid-March due to discomfort in his elbow seems to be enroute to the mound. While he’s not in his full form just yet, recent developments suggest his return might be on the horizon.

Here’s the scoop: According to Meredith Marakovits of SNY, Cole threw not once, but twice in the bullpen this morning! He tossed a cool 20 pitches in each session, a positive sign for his arm strength. But the news gets even better.  It seems like Cole will be joining Juan Soto and Aaron Judge soon, perhaps in June. 

Injury update on Gerrit Cole is good news for the New York Yankees fans

As Marakovits particularly highlights Cole was not throwing into an empty void. There were actually hitters standing in the batter’s box!  Now, these hitters weren’t exactly taking hacks – the focus was on Cole getting a feel for having someone there. 

This is a crucial step in his recovery process. Evidently, it allows him to simulate a real-game situation, although without the pressure of a live at-bat. She said, “certainly a big step for Gerrit Cole in the process.” The key here as as pitching coach Matt Blake mentioned, will be how Cole recovers after these sessions. It is these sessions that will determine if he is really fit to get back to the mound with his complete performing capacity. 

Assuming all goes well, the next hurdle for Cole is to face live hitters. While there’s no set timeline yet, this latest development is a major step in the right direction. Marakovits even quotes Blake saying Cole “looks like he would be at the start of Spring Training” in terms of his throwing mechanics. Of course, there’s still work to be done.  Rebuilding his arm strength is a gradual process, and Cole will need to overcome “a lot of hurdles” before his official return. Nevertheless, for Yankees fans yearning for their ace’s return, this news is a welcome sign.

Cole, Tommy Khanle and Dj LeMahieu not far from joining Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in their winning aspirations

Apart from this a couple of other injured players too seem to have shown progress in their recovery. Sharing the status of Tommy Khanle, Meridith said, “Tommy Kahnle also in the clubhouse today. He’s expected to throw one final time tomorrow”. She also shared the status of Dj LeMahieu “he felt much better coming out of this one. no issues with his foot. so he is expected to play in another rehab game tomorrow. He’s not exactly sure how many outings he will need, but it is going to be a gradual process in building him back up and getting him on this major league roster.” With that it is expected that Juan Soto and Aaron Judge would have company in taking the team to greater heights along with other key players. 

So, while Cole or his peers might not be in their most dominant form quite yet, these bullpen sessions with (non-swinging) hitters are a promising development. The Yankees fans continue to stay tuned to know of any progress in their players’ progress. And perhaps, Gerrit Cole’s return to the mound might be closer than one might think.