Reigning Cy Young award winner Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees has not pitched for the team yet this season. He was shut down in Spring Training with an issue in his right elbow and was subsequently placed on the 60-day injured list.
While he isn’t expected to be back in the rotation for the Yankees until at least June, the team did offer a positive update on his rehab. According to the Associated Press, via ESPN, Cole will be taking the mound for the first time on Saturday since getting injured.
“Whether that’s a full bullpen or what exactly that looks like, we’ll see,” New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Friday night’s game against Detroit. “I think it’s gone well so far, his build-up and checking the boxes and the level of intensity of throwing and things like that. So far, so good. Getting off the mound will obviously be another step.”
The most Cole has done up until this point has been throwing on flat ground. Nerve irritation and edema were found in his pitching elbow, which was encouraging as arm troubles always lead to people assuming Tommy John surgery could be on the horizon.
Over 33 starts last season, Gerrit Cole recorded a 15-4 record with an American League-leading 2.63 ERA. He registered 222 strikeouts in 209 innings and was the anchor of the team’s starting rotation.
In the fifth year of a nine-year, $324 mega contract, Cole has an opt-out after this season that people will be paying close attention to once the offseason rolls around. It seems almost guaranteed that he would, as his opt-out can be voided by the Yankees by adding a guaranteed $36 million salary in 2029.
That seems like a no-brainer for Gerrit Cole. Opting out either guarantees him another $36 million at the end of his current contract or the Yankees don’t void it and he hits free agency as an ace pitcher still at the top of his game.
In other New York Yankees injury news, infielder Jon Berti and pitchers Nick Burdi and Tommy Kahnle are all moving forward in their rehab as well. Berti played in a rehab game last week, while Burdi is set to pitch Sunday for Somerset. Kahnle’s next session is set for today as well.
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