Cole upbeat after throwing off mound: 'It's a good step'

NEW YORK -- Yankees ace Gerrit Cole took a significant step Saturday in his recovery from the right elbow issue that has kept him sidelined all season, throwing off a pitching mound for the first time since he was shut down with the injury in March. Cole reported feeling good after throwing 15 pitches, all fastballs, before the team’s Saturday matinee against the Tigers at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees and Cole will now see how his elbow responds over the next couple of days before determining what the next steps look like for the right-hander, who is expected to need at least four to six weeks to ramp up before returning to the active roster.

“It’s a good step,” Cole said. “This is the most taste I’ve had of [pitching] in months, and I do miss it.”

Sidelined since reporting right elbow discomfort in mid-March, Cole resumed throwing in mid-April, and he increased his throwing to 120 feet on April 23. Cole threw again on April 27 and 30 before progressing to Saturday’s mini-bullpen session. The discomfort Cole reported during Spring Training stemmed from soreness that lingered longer than usual after outings.

“I think everyone in this room understands Gerrit, who he is, how much he loves what he does, and obviously, how good he is at it,” manager Aaron Boone said. “So it’s just the process of getting back, another step along the way to getting him back. Glad we were able to get to this point today. Onward and upward.”

Losing Cole, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, opened a massive hole in the Yankees’ rotation two weeks before Opening Day, and they feared the worst given the nature of elbow injuries. But so far, Cole and the club have both avoided the worst. Multiple doctors found no damage to Cole’s ulnar collateral ligament, and he has progressed to this point via a rest and rehab approach. If all goes well, it’s not implausible for Cole to return before the All-Star break.

Meanwhile, the Yankees’ 3.01 staff ERA entering Saturday ranked second in MLB. Their 3.43 rotation ERA ranked sixth among AL clubs. Right-hander Luis Gil has pitched very well in Cole’s stead, going 2-1 with a 3.19 ERA across six starts.

“One of the reasons we have the record we have is because our starters give us a really good chance every night, almost without fail,” Boone said. “Those guys have been excellent. … they've done a really good job giving us that opportunity to win a ballgame every single night. And obviously, when you have a guy like Gerrit down, you know, it's imperative for guys to step up, and it opens up opportunities.”