The New York Yankees (37-18) pitching staff has been terrorizing the league, as its 2.77 ERA leads the MLB by a significant margin. Incredibly, this has been without its ace and 2023 Cy Young Award-winner Gerrit Cole, whose return from a right elbow injury is right around the corner.
Cole tossed two 15-pitch innings in a simulated game Saturday via ESPN.
“We hit all our goals,” Cole said. “We did exactly what we wanted to do today. Threw a lot of strikes, so pretty good.”
Cole plans to face hitters again next week and remains on track to return by June.
“Get after the recovery and try to get back on the bump middle next week,” Cole said.
What will be the next steps in the rehab process for the former Houston Astro?
Cole will need to pitch several minor-league outings before returning to the Yankees
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Cole has been out since March 1st when he came down with nerve inflammation in his elbow after his first Spring Training appearance. The 33-year-old didn’t throw off of a mound again until May 5th, when he began his string of bullpen sessions before tossing the simulated contest on Saturday.
Cole faced minor-league batters at the Yankees’ training complex in Tampa, Florida, on a field endearingly named after Derek Jeter. The right-hander will now need to pitch four or five full rehab outings before possibly returning to the big leagues in late June. The exact timeline for said rehab assignments is currently unknown.
How will Cole fit into the Yankees’ rotation upon return?
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New York isn’t exactly starving for Cole’s presence, as the squad also leads the league with a .209 opponent batting average. Hitters have been stifled by the likes of Luis Gil, Marcus Stroman, and Clarke Schmidt, which is a major reason why the club has the best record in the MLB.
Manager Aaron Boone can’t say enough good things about the group, via Greg Joyce of the New York Post.
“It’s been really all year,” Boone said. “It’s like virtually every day they’ve given us an opportunity to win a game. But what we’ve seen over the last couple weeks and now this turn in the rotation, they’ve been remarkable. Ultimately it starts on the bump and starts with that starting pitcher. They’re the reason — it starts with them — why we’ve been off to this kind of start.”
The aforementioned hurlers have been nothing short of a revelation, and they deserve credit for manning the ship in Cole’s absence. However, a healthy Cole should still slide into the first spot in the rotation once he’s fully up to speed. The Yankees’ $324 million man isn’t being paid to be the third or fifth pitcher. New York made him one of the highest-paid pitchers to ever live because it wants him to lead them to multiple championships.
Cole could be the last piece needed for the Yankees to go all the way
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With the Yankees’ season already going swimmingly sans Cole, one can only imagine how far the ace can push them as the season wears on. However, nothing is guaranteed. The right-hander could always have another flare-up or setback. It shouldn’t be assumed that he’ll get back to Cy Young-level form anytime soon.
With that being said, there will be added pressure for Cole to perform if the other pitchers begin to falter. Players like Gil are a nice story, but they’re not the ones who are being paid as generational talents. Time will tell if New York’s pitching staff will continue to dominate, or if Cole will need to be the savior eventually.
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Joshua is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. He started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper. When he’s not watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or writing a screenplay.
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