New York Yankees’ star right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole is set to resume throwing this week as part of his ongoing rehabilitation for his injured right elbow.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone informed reporters on Sunday that Cole is expected to start playing catch either on Monday or Tuesday. Cole was placed on the 60-day injured list before Opening Day due to nerve inflammation in his elbow, making him eligible to return on May 27.
Fortunately, there was no damage to his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), and the best-case scenario for his return is early June. Cole, a six-time All-Star and the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, was the first overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In 2023, at the age of 33, Cole recorded a remarkable season for New York, tallying a 15-4 record with 222 strikeouts and a 2.63 ERA across 209 innings pitched in 33 starts. He topped the American League pitchers in various categories, including win-loss percentage, ERA, games started, shutouts (two), and innings pitched.