Yankees Must Avoid Mistake After Gerrit Cole Injury Update

The pitcher in the following video from Hoch looks like a guy who could pitch in an MLB game tomorrow. The Yankees cannot afford to rush Cole back, however. In all reality, New York is going to be cautious with the situation, but it may be tempting to rush him back given how good he looks already this spring.

Cole recently reached 97 mph with his fastball. It is uncertain how hard he was throwing in the above video from Tuesday, but the pitcher looks strong in his continued injury recovery. All signs are pointing in the right direction. There have not been any recent reports of setbacks.

Nevertheless, waiting to have Cole return is the best possible decision the Yankees can make. Sure, they could try to bring him back in May. The fact of the matter is that New York features a talented enough ball club to remain in contention without Cole early in the season. In order to win a World Series, however, the Yankees will need the Cy Young winner in the rotation.

The chances of Cole avoiding a setback and being completely healthy will increase if the Yankees are patient with the situation. This is a team that is playing for October.

With all of that being said, it is encouraging to see Cole throwing the ball well early in the spring. He may be 35 years old, but it would not be surprising to see the ace pitch at a high level once again once he returns.

The Yankees will provide updates on Gerrit Cole's status as they are made available.