FILE - In this May 17, 2016, file photo, Atlanta Braves interim manager Brian Snitker talks with reporters in the dugout before the team's baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh. The Braves have named Snitker as manager, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016, rewarding him for reversing the team’s direction in his role as interim manager this season. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
Yankees’ Gerrit Cole hints at huge upcoming step toward trade away to Atlanta Braves after recovery
New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole can check another box off in his recovery from right elbow inflammation.
On Thursday, Cole threw 43 pitches in his third live batting practice session in Tampa. He told reporter John Brophy that he felt “good” and he was able to throw all his pitches without issue. The next step could be a big one — a rehab start with one of the Yankees’ minor-league affiliates.
“I’ll have to double-check, but it seems like the direction it’s going,” Cole said from the Yankees’ player development complex.
Cole is scheduled to throw at some point in the “middle of next week,” he said, as long as recovery goes well. In March, he was shut down after that did not happen satisfactorily. He completed Thursday’s session with three-ups (sitting, then pitching again) to simulate what he’d do in a real game. He also threw live BPs on May 21 (20 pitches) and May 25 (30 pitches, two-ups)
The Yankees have yet to decide how many minor-league starts they want Cole making or how much they want him built up.
Cole said recently that coming off the IL before July is a possibility.
The New York Yankees have had a solid start to the 2024 MLB season. New York sits atop the AL East with a 38-19 record. Moreover, the Yankees’ momentum has grown with a positive injury update on star pitcher Gerrit Cole.
Cole is battling back from an elbow ailment and provided reporters an optimistic update on his rehab process Thursday. Cole tossed at New York’s Tampa facility and said he felt good after 43 pitches, per Jon Brophy. The veteran right-hander is planning to recover and get back on the mound in hopes of further progressing his rehab.
The Yankees placed Cole on the 60-day injured list in late March after he suffered inflammation in his right elbow. Thankfully, his ailment did not require Tommy John surgery. Instead, Cole’s medical team recommended he rest, rehab, and do nonsurgical treatments.
Since then, the star pitcher has made promising progress. Hopefully, everything continues to go smoothly as he prepares for his return.
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Cole originally signed with the Yankees in 2020. He had a respectable year, but 2021 was when he solidified himself as a foundational piece of New York’s defense. Cole amassed a W-L of 16-8 and threw 243 strikeouts. He continued his stout production into 2023.
The 33-year-old comes off an incredible season where he went 15-4, threw 222 strikeouts, held an ERA of 2.63, and boasted a league-leading WHIP of .98. As a result, he was recognized as the American League’s top pitcher and won the 2023 Cy Young Award.
Gerrit Cole’s injury absence hurts the Yankees, but the club has done a phenomenal job managing without him so far.
