Gerrit Cole Injury Update: Yankees ace to resume playing catch in couple of days, per MLB insider
It has been a very solid start to the season for the New York Yankees, and they're finally getting some positive news about Gerrit Cole's injury.
The reigning Cy Young winner has been sidelined since the middle of Spring Training and was not expected to return for about 10 weeks or so. However, he's slated to resume playing catch in the next couple of days.
Greg Joyce, a Yankees beat reporter, tweeted:
"Gerrit Cole is expected to start playing catch in the next couple days, per Boone. Could be Monday or Tuesday."
Within the next few days, Gerrit Cole will be throwing a baseball again, which is the first major milestone as he attempts to work back from an elbow injury. He's fortunate to not have needed any surgery, and it seems that he will begin rehabbing soon.
Gerrit Cole beginning to work his way back from injury
Cole experienced some discomfort in his elbow, which is never a good thing. The Yankees are extremely fortunate that he didn't tear anything or need surgery, which is something plaguing pitchers across the league this season.
Still, the Yankees miss their ace badly. Already, they've sustained bullpen injuries and have been stretched thin by starters not going long into games. The rotation is thin, and the bullpen has been stretched to make up for that.
Cole is known for going deep into games. He can be depended upon for six or more innings, where others cannot. Clarke Schmidt hasn't been able to do that, while Luis Gil is a rookie who is being stretched out.
Carlos Rodon and Marcus Stroman can go deeper, but they haven't pitched past the sixth this year. The Yankees need Cole back to prevent bullpen overload. It will still be quite some time until he's back, but step one is almost here.
Once he starts throwing again, it's only a matter of time before he can get back on the mound and help the Yankees march for their 28th World Series title.