New York Yankees Ace Gerrit Cole Takes Major Step In Rehab

The New York Yankees should be getting their ace back sooner rather than later.

Reigning American League Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole has increased his throwing to 120-feet, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

While this is a major step in Cole's rehab, he does not yet have a target date for when he will start throwing off the mound.

This could come sometime in May as he needs to throw off the mound, throw live BP and then begin a rehab assignment in order to reach his targeted return date of June.

The Yankees dodged a bullet in Spring Training, as Cole's elbow showed no structural damage after getting examined by top sports surgeon Dr. Neal ElAtrrache in Los Angeles. Luckily, the recommendation was for Cole to undergo rest and treatment as opposed to surgery.

The expectation is that Cole should be able to return sometime in June. For now, the Yankees have had to rely on a rotation constructed of Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortes, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil.

Despite being without Cole, the Yankees are off to a hot start with a record of 15-8. Pitching has not been the problem as the offense has struggled due to prolonged slumps from Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo.

The hope is that Judge and Rizzo will turn it around, and the Yankees will be firing on all cylinders by the time Cole comes back this summer.

The Yankees' bullpen has also been hit with the injury bug, losing Nick Burdi to the IL and Jonathan Loaisiga to Tommy John surgery. However, Lou Trivino and Scott Effross should be back once the weather heats up, which should provide a boost to the bullpen.