Gerrit Cole's 2024 MLB season debut is right around the corner as the New York Yankees announced that their star pitcher will join the minors on Tuesday.
The 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner has been out since the end of last season.
He made a spring training appearance last March 1 but suffered a nerve inflammation and edema on his elbow.
Cole, who was 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA in 33 starts last season, started tossing on May 4, and the recovery remains gradual.
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He started pitching, although in a limited capacity. On May 30, he threw 43 pitches over three innings of live batting practice against Minor Leaguers in Tampa.
According to manager Aaron Boone, his next stop is the minors.
He will have a minor league rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset.
"It's expected Cole will make multiple minor league starts before rejoining the Yankees, who lost starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt to a right lat strain last week," the Associated Press wrote.
Gerrit Cole return to majors
Although there is excitement about Cole's return, Boone said they will remain careful with his recovery.
"I try not to get ahead of myself with it," Boone said. "Let's just keep checking boxes, keep moving the needle. Ever since he got shut down, I feel like it's moved in a good direction the whole way. It's just about continuing to move toward that point."
Will he be able to step on the big league this month?
"I wouldn't rule it out," said Cole.
Yankees' revenge season
The Yankees are pushing the right buttons most of the time this season. They are currently atop the American League East and the best team overall at 42-19.
Cole was among the more vocal players about their 2023 flop.
Despite being the most expensive roster that year, the team missed the playoffs during that season.
He said they should use such failure as a motivation. He expressed excitement and eagerness to get things right this time.
Unfortunately, he was not for them at the start of the season.
"Certainly there were injuries that were outside the normal realm of injuries that impacted us," Cole said back in February.
"With that said, we get injured too much as a group. We need to improve."
Although he missed games, other guys have stepped up for everyone.
This is related to what he said three months ago about the team collecting the best players.
"You can never have enough good players and that's why it's special to be a Yankee."
The offseason activities are paying off. The Yankees addressed their problems, and the efforts are paying off now.
Cole is a veteran and has proven himself on the field.
He could provide a huge lift to the team as they solidify their campaign, especially now that Clarke Schmidt is out indefinitely (on the 15-day injured list) with a right lat strain.
Related article: Yankees' Great Campaign Hits a Snag as Starting Pitcher Clark Schmidt Could Be Out For Entire Season
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