Gerrit Cole follows steady recovery approach, Yankees ace ignores return pressure

Gerrit Cole is progressing well in his recovery from an elbow injury, but there's still time before he returns. It was initially suggested that he'd be out for two or three months. Cole has reached that initial plateau, but he's not certain if he'll be back in June. However, that isn't as bad for the New York Yankees as it might seem.

According to David Lennon of Newsday, Cole isn't worried at all. The ace doesn't have to try and return to save the Yankee rotation.

“I mean, I’m still on the team. I feel just as good as everyone else does about them. They’re doing great,” Cole said. [via Newsday].

As for whether or not their performance makes him feel better about taking his time, he said:

“Yeah, I guess if we were really struggling, then it would be a challenge having to not try to feel like you needed to rush it back. So, I obviously don’t feel like I need to rush it back. You know, whether they’re performing well or not, you try to stick to that but there’s definitely not any impending outside pressure.”

His scratch just before the start of the season led many to believe that the team might struggle without Cole, but it's been quite the opposite.

That means Cole can take his rehab a little easier and ensure he's fully healthy. With Nestor Cortes Jr., Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt stepping up in a big way, Cole can heal fully without any pressure.

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When will Gerrit Cole return to action?

Gerrit Cole recently pitched to live batters for the first time since spring training. The reigning AL Cy Young has been out since February, but he is slowly getting back to action. These big steps in recovery naturally prompt questions about just how much longer he will be out.

When will Gerrit Cole return?

The timetable isn't there yet, but it should be sooner rather than later. After his bullpen session, he told reporters that he wouldn't rule out a return in June. That isn't exactly imminent nor is it the biggest development.

Within the next six weeks or so, Cole should be back on the mound. However, he will have to undergo a rehab stint since he didn't have any spring training and will have to ramp up to a bigger workload.