MLB Rumors: Yankees' Gerrit Cole Targeting Mid-June Return from Elbow Injury

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole is eyeing a mid-June return to the mound from an elbow injury, per the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

"Gerrit Cole is scheduled to throw his first bullpen Saturday, with the new target for his return 'mid June,'" Heyman wrote.

Cole has been dealing with elbow discomfort since spring training and has yet to see any action this season.

Cole, an 11-year veteran, notched 222 strikeouts with a 2.63 ERA and a league-best 0.98 WHIP on his way to a Cy Young Award last season. Despite New York's struggles, Cole managed to post a 15-4 record on the mound.

While Cole would have liked to have not missed any time, avoiding a major surgery means that he will at least be back on the mound well before the end of the season and should have plenty of time to get in rhythm before the postseason.

Luckily for Cole and New York, the Yankees have gotten off to a solid start even without their ace on the mound. New York is 20-13 this season, sitting just behind the Baltimore Orioles in second place in the AL East.

The Yankees had a disastrous season last year that saw them miss the postseason for the first time in seven years after posting an 82-80 record. New York seems poised to turn things around this year, and if Cole is back on the mound soon it would help with that goal.