New York Yankees' Cy Young Ace Unlikely to Come off IL When Eligible

The New York Yankees are off to a strong start to the 2024 regular season even without their Cy young winning ace.

Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole is unlikely to come off the injured list when he is eligible to do so in late-May, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

That said, it is a good sign that Cole is throwing off flat ground and is set to throw off the mound sometime next week.

"He's been throwing off flat ground and the expectation is that he will get it off a mound sometime next week," Rosenthal said. "Keep in mind, he cannot come off the injured list until May 27, and it's probably unlikely he'll be ready at that time."

Cole, like all other starting pitchers, typically require a six-week ramp up period in order to be properly prepared to throw in games. Given his current timeline, the righty will not be ready by the time he is eligible to come off the IL on May 27.

The good news is that the expectation that Cole will return in June still appears to be accurate, as he has made significant progress in his build up.

The Yankees dodged a major bullet in Spring Training, as Cole's elbow wasn't recovering the way he wanted after his first few spring outings. Cole described it has a similar feeling to throwing 100-plus pitches in a regular season start.

As a result, the Yankees' doctors sent Cole to get checked out in Los Angeles by top sports surgeon Dr. Neal ElAtthrache, who concurred that rest, rehab and treatment was the proper route for Cole's elbow injury, as opposed to undergoing surgery since the ligament was intact.

In the meantime, the Yankees' rotation has picked up the slack behind All-Stars Carlos Rodon and Marcus Stroman, as well as Nestor Cortes, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil.

Due to the starting staff's early season performance, there is no reason to rush Cole back from the IL. As long as the Yankees have a healthy ace for the stretch run, they should be in good shape. This appears like it will be the case.