New York Yankees' Ace Gerrit Cole Could Reportedly Return Sooner Than Expected

As the New York Yankees were getting ready to start their journey for the new baseball season, disaster struck their starting rotation. Ace right-hander Gerrit Cole was diagnosed with nerve irritation and edema in his pitching elbow after just one spring training outing. The reigning Cy Young Award winner has been out since and the Yankees miss having their ace on the mound.

He is eligible to come off the injured list on May 27 after being placed on the 60-day injured list. However, with an injury like this, the Yankees are likely to be very cautious with Cole. They don't want to run the risk of him reinjuring himself by pushing him to come back too soon. But it seems that New York may not have to wait too much longer to see their star back on the mound.

According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Cole could be returning to New York's rotation much sooner than originally expected.

"Gerrit Cole is scheduled to throw his first bullpen Saturday, with the new target for his return [listed as] mid June," Heyman reports.

Despite Cole missing all this time, the Yankees have survived and kept themselves pretty far above water. They currently sit with a record of 21-13 on the season, sitting in second place within the AL East. New York has managed to survive behind other rotation pieces stepping up.

Normally when a player of Cole's caliber is missing, a rotation suffers. But the Yankees starters have been some of the best in the entire league. New York's rotation holds an ERA of 3.43, which is ranked ninth in the major leagues. If they can continue to hold down the fort like this all season, the return of Cole will make the Yankees even more of a threat than they already are.

The right-hander made his first real step toward a return, throwing off the mound on May 4 before the team's game against the Detroit Tigers. Cole threw 15 pitches, with 13 of them yielding strikes. Each pitch he threw was a fastball and they averaged around 89 mph.

"It was exciting," Cole said. "This was a good day for me. I was fired up."

Like always, the Yankees are a championship-or-bust type of organization. They have been able to survive without the services of their ace but they will need him back to reach their ultimate goal of winning a World Series this season. Luckily for them, it seems that Cole is on his way to returning, a sign that it could be a special year in the Bronx.