Gerrit Cole took a step forward Tuesday in his return from the early-season elbow inflammation that forced him to start the year on the injured list.
The reigning AL Cy Young winner said that he threw from 120 feet before the New York Yankees' game against the Oakland Athletics, and manager Aaron Boone said Cole could throw off a mound as early as next week.
The Yankees placed Cole on the 60-day injured list on March 28, setting the earliest date he could return to the majors for May 27.
Cole was shut down in the middle of spring training due to nerve irritation and edema in his throwing elbow.
He won the Cy Young unanimously in 2023 after posting a 2.63 ERA over 209 innings, racking up 222 strikeouts and 15 wins.
New York entered play on Tuesday with a 15-8 record, good for second place in the AL East.
Even without their ace, the Yankees have gotten some of the best pitching in MLB this season. Their pitching staff as a whole has the third-lowest ERA in baseball, and Yankee starters have also been the third-best group around the league in preventing runs.
