Getty Gerrit Cole pitches during against the Toronto Blue Jays during a game in September 2023.
Seven games into the 2024 season, the New York Yankees are looking like, well the New York Yankees. They’ve won six of those seven to start the year.
Juan Soto is in a contract year, and playing like it. Aaron Judge has returned to form after a slow start. Oh, and Anthony Volpe is a changed man, batting .529 to start the year. The bullpen, as always, is playing lights out.
New York is just missing ace Gerrit Cole, who’s been sidelined with nerve inflammation and edema since March 16.
In speaking with reporters before an April 4 game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, team manager Aaron Boone provided a short, but positive update on the 2023 CY Young winner.
“I know he’s moving in that direction,” Boone told the New York Post. “Everything seems to be going well so far.”
Cole’s original rehab timeline for a return put him on pace for the start of June. So far, so good.
Cole on Rehab: ‘A Lot of Good Days in a Row’
New York’s ace spoke with YES Network broadcasters during the second inning of their April 4 win. He said all the things Yankees fans want to hear, and dubbed the nature of his rehab “encouraging.”
“Everything is coming along smoothly”
Gerrit Cole speaks with @dcone36 on his rehab progression
“We’ve had a lot of good days in a row,” Cole told YES Network. “Everything’s been going nicely, coming along pretty smoothly. So it’s encouraging for sure.”
While he hasn’t started on a throwing program, Cole has been building the strength back up in his throwing arm. When asked how, he went above and beyond, sparing next to no detail.
“You build it from all the different vulnerable positions,” Cole told YES Network. “And you kinda build it up in each position specifically. As you’re at certain positions of your arm path and what not, you train that positions eccentrically and concentrically. And then you train them from a strength perspective, and then a dynamic perspective and then you kind of put it all together with single-arm [plyometrics] and then eventually throwing the baseball.”
Gerrit Cole won 15 of 19 starts last season, throwing for a 2.63 ERA in 33 games played, and ultimately winning the Cy Young award.
To add that kind of player to this New York Yankees team would command World Series expectations. They look prepared to deliver.
Aaron Judge Hits First Home Run of the Season
There’s no place like home. And the New York Yankees are headed back to the Big Apple after a season-opening road trip that saw them play seven games to start the year.
They’re firing on all cylinders coming home, with Aaron Judge’s first home run of the season the only missing link going into their April 4 game in Arizona. He delivered in the fourth inning to put the Yankees ahead two runs to one.
#AllRise for the first time in 2024!
But to punch their ticket home, they had to battle the Diamondbacks into extra innings. Closing pitcher Caleb Ferguson left three stranded on loaded bases in the bottom of the 11th inning to get the win.
New York’s 6-1 record to open the season is tied for the second-best in franchise history.
They’ll look to keep their momentum, as they take their home field for the first time on April 5. They’ll host the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game series to begin the homestand.
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Aaron Boone Gives Update on Injured Yankees Ace: ‘He’s Moving in That Direction’