NEW YORK Gerrit Cole, the ace of the Yankees, crossed another milestone in his recovery from an elbow injury on Saturday morning when he pitched off a mound for the first time since being sidelined in mid-March. Just hours before New York faced the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium, at 10:40 a.m., Cole took the mound in the Yankees’ bullpen. He reported throwing 15 pitches, all fastballs, 13 of which were for strikes. The pitches, he claimed, averaged 89 mph.
“It was thrilling,” Cole remarked. “I had a good day today. I was energised.” After one spring training session, Cole, 33, was diagnosed with nerve irritation and edema in his throwing elbow, putting him on the 60-day injured list to begin the season. Although Cole, the winner of the American League Cy Young Award, is eligible to return from the injured list on May 27, the Yankees have not disclosed when Cole will be back. Cole stated that, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being game ready, he is “somewhere between 1 and 5.” He stated that the next 48 hours will determine when he pitches off a mound once more based on how his body reacts.
Although Cole’s injury dealt a serious setback to a team that was hoping for a title or worse, the Yankees’ starting rotation has been among the best in the majors and has been a major factor in their 21-13 start. As of Friday, the rotation’s 3.43 ERA was sixth in the majors. Pitched 183⅔ innings, which placed it fourth. The powerful Baltimore Orioles were held scoreless on two singles over a career-high 6⅓ innings by Cole’s replacement in the rotation, Luis Gil, who recorded the greatest start of his young career on Wednesday. Gil, 25, led the American League in walks with 20, but he has only put up a 3.19 ERA in 31 innings over six appearances.
The powerful Baltimore Orioles were held scoreless on two singles over a career-high 6⅓ innings by Cole’s replacement in the rotation, Luis Gil, who recorded the greatest start of his young career on Wednesday. Gil, 25, led the American League in walks with 20, but he has only put up a 3.19 ERA in 31 innings over six appearances. Cole’s timeline won’t be impacted by the success of the team or the rotation, according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone earlier this week. When asked if his absence has become more “palatable” due to the overall success, Cole seemed unclear. Cole remarked, “I don’t really have anything disagreeable to compare it to.” “What am I trying to say, here? Thus, like everyone else, I’m just happy that we’re playing well.”
Additionally on Saturday, the Yankees placed former first-round choice Taylor Trammell on the disabled list and added infielder Jon Berti back to the team. Due to a left groin issue, Berti, 34, has not been in the Yankees lineup since April 10. On April 18, Trammell was selected by the Yankees off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers. In five games with New York, he recorded one hit, one walk, and two runs.