Yankees' Gerrit Cole Will Begin Throwing This Week amid Elbow Injury Rehab

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will take the next step toward an eventual return this week.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Sunday the plan is for the right-hander to start throwing either Monday or Tuesday. Cole is sidelined because of nerve inflammation in his right elbow and on the 60-day injured list.

ESPN noted that while he is eligible to return from the IL on May 27, his "best-case scenario" is coming back in early June even though medical tests revealed no damage to his UCL.

Cole pitched just one spring training game and one simulated game ahead of the 2024 campaign before the Yankees shut him down. It was an unusual injury concern for the pitcher, who has been notably durable for much of his career.

He led the league with 33 starts in each of the last two seasons. He has made at least 30 starts seven times in his career, including in six straight seasons, not counting the shortened 2020 campaign.

Cole is also one of the best pitchers in the league when he does make all those starts.

He took home the American League Cy Young Award last season with a 2.63 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 222 strikeouts in 209 innings. Nobody had a better ERA or WHIP in the American League, and he led the league in innings pitched for the first time in his career.

To the Yankees' credit, they have played well without Cole in the early going of the 2024 campaign.

They are 7-2 and in first place in the American League East. New addition Marcus Stroman has been excellent in 12 shutout innings across two starts, which has helped New York tread water while Cole is sidelined.

If Stroman can continue pitching at that level when the ace returns, the Yankees could have one of the best one-two punches in the league for the stretch run.