Yankees’ ace to begin playing catch this week according to Aaron Boone

The New York Yankees are chomping at the bit to get Gerrit Cole back on the bump, and this recent update certainly gets them closer to that day. After a season where he was the best pitcher in baseball, the right-hander underwent an MRI in Spring Training for an elbow issue that had been bugging him. He described the feeling as an irritation similar to what he experiences after throwing 100+ pitches in a game, but he didn’t seem overly concerned about anything season-ending.

Fears were officially put to bed regarding any UCL tears when imaging revealed the tendon was intact, as even when they visited world-renowned surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the recommendation was not to get surgery. The discovery of an intact UCL was huge news, but Gerrit Cole would still need to go on the IL with nerve inflammation, and his rehab would be as meticulous as the veteran ace is with everything he does.

Now further along in his rehabilitation, this is a huge first step toward getting back into the swing of things, as the Yankees would love to get him back sometime in late May or early June. Jon Heyman has mentioned a June 1st return date, reporting that the right-hander feels good about his ability to return by then, and given his connections to Cole’s agent (Scott Boras), Heyman would have some strong information about the matter.

Right now the Yankees are getting some solid production from their starters, but they haven’t been pitching deep enough into games, and that could be an issue for this bullpen. Without Jonathan Loaisiga, the bridge to the ninth inning is muddied, something we saw yesterday when the Yankees had to go to Ian Hamilton and Clay Holmes in a game they led 9-2 entering the seventh inning. Getting their ace back would do wonders for their ability to get bulk innings, and this is a great update for the Yankees.