More troubling New York Yankees news from MLB insider on Gerrit Cole injury return timeline

The New York Yankees hoped that when Gerrit Cole first landed on the injured list with discomfort in his right elbow, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner would return in May. Now, things have taken a turn with the ace of the Yankees rotation poised to be sidelined even longer.

Cole, age 33, reported elbow discomfort early in spring training. When rest brought no improvement, the All-Star pitcher was ruled out for the start of the 2024 MLB season and sent for second opinions on his pitching elbow.

Gerrit Cole stats 2023: 2.63 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 222 strikeouts, 15 wins in 209 innings pitched

Fortunately for the Yankees, further evaluation determined that he was dealing with nerve inflammation and edema in his right elbow. Doctors advised him to shut things down for a month, then slowly begin the rehab process with the hope the discomfort subsided.

Originally, Cole was scheduled to rejoin the Yankees rotation in late May. However, while he is now involved in a throwing program, New York is reportedly pushing back his timeline for a return.

Gerrit Cole contract: $36 million salary in 2024. Player opt-out in 2025, New York Yankees can void by adding a 10th year to contract at $36 million salary for the 2029 season

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Cle is now targeting a mid-June return to the Yankees rotation. He is tentatively scheduled to throw his first bullpen session on Saturday, followed by a few days to rest and see. how the elbow responds to the bullpen session.

As Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports previously reported, a return at the end of May was becoming increasingly doubtful to Cole. The Cy Young Award winner is critical to the Yankees’ World Series hopes and a setback would be a significant blow to their rotation long term. For now, a return in mid-June is the expectation but the Yankees could easily push that date back further if there are even small setbacks in the recovery process.