New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is currently on the 60-day injured list to begin the 2024 season due to an elbow injury, but it appears a potential return date is already being reported.
Dealing with nerve inflammation in his throwing elbow, Cole isn’t eligible to return from the injured list until May 27, which is right in the middle of a West Coast trip for the Yankees.
According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Cole said a good estimation for his return would be around June 1, which would be the end of that road trip against the San Francisco Giants.
Incidentally, Cole says he feels good and is hopeful the Yankees’ oft-whispered target date of June 1 is a good estimate for his return date.
There’s no denying what type of absence will be felt without Cole leading the rotation. Coming off his first Cy Young Award in 2023, in 33 starts, he registered a 15-4 record with a 2.63 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. He recorded 222 strikeouts and just 48 walks in 209 innings.
The Yankees also have a homestand against the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers starting June 4 following the trip to the West Coast so it wouldn’t be a surprise if that wound up being his first start back.
The Yankees are relying on a rotation combination of Nestor Cortes, Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil.
What will be in store for Cole coming off the injured list remains to be seen, but that “oft-whispered” return date can’t come soon enough considering how well this new Yankees team is playing.
