Gerrit Cole injury update: Yankees hopes revived with ace expected to return to camp, as per Aaron Boone.

Gerrit Cole might not miss time as previously expected. According to Bryan Hoch, Yankees manager Aaron Boone is expecting Cole to be back in camp by tomorrow. The news is a heartwarming update for Yankees faithful, after it was previously reported he would miss the initial few months of the new season due to elbow issues.

The news followed Cole experiencing discomfort in his throwing arm, following which he underwent an MRI. He went to renowned sports surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache for consultation, who advised him against Tommy John surgery, given there was no tear reported in his MRI.

Soon after, there were reports saying Cole might not be available for the first few months of the regular season start. However, this recent update might be good and Cole possibly might not have to miss that much time as expected earlier.

Cole's return doesn't necessarily mean that he will be back on the mound and ready to go on Opening Day. The Yankees training staff will see how he's feeling and then proceed with the necessary actions to help him return to the mound.

Yankees announce Opening Day starter amid Gerritt Cole's unavailability

The New York Yankees will start their regular season on March 28 on the road against the Houston Astros. If not for injury, Gerrit Cole would have been the Opening Day starter. As a result, the club has announced Nestor Cortes Jr. as the Yankees Opening Day starter.

This will be the first opening day for Cortes in his career.

"I told [Boone] that I'm prepared for it," Cortes said. "He affirmed that he knew I could take up that task. I've been up and down, I've been back and forth between starting and bullpen in '21. I've got put into many different roles throughout my whole career, so I feel like I can go out there and show I can be the guy."

However, the numbers from Cortes' previous season aren't very encouraging. Due to a rotator cuff strain in his left shoulder, his season was derailed as he could only pitch 63.1 innings for a dismal 4.97 ERA.

"Every year, you have something to prove no matter if it was a good year or a bad year. If it's a good year, people are going to ask if you can repeat it," he said.

"If it's a bad year, what can you turn around? For me, it's just focusing on Game 1 and after that, just concentrate more on my rehab stuff and being able to come out every five days."

However, the Yankees coaching staff's belief in him comes from his 2021 and 2022 seasons, where his mound activity was impressive.