After undergoing an MRI on the injury, Cole has been working on rehabbing the elbow with a hope that he can pitch for the Yankees in 2024.

Now, the Yankees have received a big update on Cole’s injury, with the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner making progress, per MLB.com.

“Cole increased his throwing to 75 feet on April 16 in New York. He was scheduled to toss again on April 17, which will mark his first time throwing on back-to-back days since his injury. It has been a slow but steady progression for Cole, who said he felt “great” after making 25 throws at 60 feet on April 8, then had another tossing session go well on April 11.

Cole underwent an MRI on March 11 after relaying difficulty bouncing back between his spring outings, likening his level of fatigue to what he usually would feel after throwing 100 pitches during the regular season. Cole had more testing performed on March 12, then visited Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on March 14. ElAttrache confirmed that there was no damage to Cole’s ulnar collateral ligament.

During that visit, Cole was told that he could treat his ailing right elbow conservatively through rest and rehab, with the hope of returning to the rotation in 10-12 weeks. Manager Aaron Boone said on April 17 that there is no set date for Cole to return to throwing from a mound.”

It’s good news for the Yankees that Cole is making progress and is seemingly going to be able to avoid elbow surgery.

Yankees winning ways in 2024

The Yankees are currently leading the AL East with a 13-6 record. The team has major pop in their lineup with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, but it’s been the pitching that has excelled so far for New York.

The Yankees’ pitching is third in team ERA, ninth in WHIP, and second in opponent batting average while the offense is 14th in the majors in runs scored while sitting 13th in batting average. The Yankees are also third in on-base percentage while sitting 14th in slugging.

But even if the Yankees being back on top seems like it was destined to happen all along, it’s worth remembering a time when the franchise seemed to be at its low point just a few months ago, before the offseason optimism of the Juan Soto trade kickstarted this surge of good vibes. A lot of things had to go right to get the Yanks to this point.

Anthony Volpe’s breakout, Giancarlo Stanton seemingly turning back the clock, an untouchable bullpen, and role players showing up in the clutch have all been keys to the Yankees’ success so far in 2024. Getting a healthy Gerrit Cole back, possibly in June, will only help the team make a push back into the postseason.