New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole. Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Gerrit Cole’s latest comments will make Yankees fans happy

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated May 21, 2024 5:42 PM ET

Gerrit Cole’s latest comments on Tuesday will make New York Yankees fans happy.

Cole continues to progress from an elbow injury that has kept him out all season. On Tuesday, he pitched some live batting practice at Yankee Stadium and threw to two Yankees hitters. He even touched 96 mph on his fastball and was told to rein it in.

Gerrit Cole said he hit 96 mph during his live BP today. Matt Blake told him to cool it down, so he had to ease off a little bit. But Cole said that’s a good sign at this stage.

— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) May 21, 2024

You can see how Cole looked on the mound:

View from the 3B dugout as Gerrit Cole faces Oswaldo Cabrera in live BP: pic.twitter.com/SXJlispwuV

— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) May 21, 2024

Cole has been targeting a mid-June return. He was asked if returning in June was realistic and said Tuesday he “wouldn’t rule it out.”

Asked if it is realistic he could return in June, Gerrit Cole said: “I wouldn’t rule it out.”

— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) May 21, 2024

“I feel pretty good, and the stuff looked pretty good,” Cole continued, per the Associated Press' Ronald Blum. “I had some fun. It’s all positives.”

The Yankees have begun the season 33-16, which is the best record in the American League. They’ve done it all without Cole.

Yankees fans are already pretty happy with how the team has performed this season. Getting Cole back to bolster the pitching rotation would add to what’s already been a good start to the season.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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