NEW YORK -- Gerrit Cole threw a baseball for the first time in four weeks Monday. He threw it 25 times from 60 feet. He noted 22 of the 25 tosses hit his target squarely in the chest.
The catch session, the first of three scheduled this week, represented an important checkpoint in Cole's recovery from nerve inflammation in his right elbow that will sideline him at least until late May. That's a better outlook than a few of his peers across the majors.
Cole is one of several prominent pitchers to sustain a major arm injury since teams reported for spring training in February.