Watch: Gerrit Cole pitches in live batting practice, Yankees ace inches toward highly-anticipated return

Gerrit Cole has ramped up his baseball activities as he continues to push toward a return to action. The New York Yankees ace has yet to pitch a single inning for the team this season after suffering nerve irritation and edema in his throwing elbow back in March. Thankfully, Cole avoided a season-ending injury but has been sidelined since then.

On Tuesday, Gerrit Cole faced live batters for the first time since suffering the injury, a promising step in the right direction for the superstar. According to MLB insider Bryan Hoch, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner will face both Jahmai Jones and Oswaldo Cabrera.

Here's the video:

"Full pinstripes for Gerrit Cole as he prepares for live BP. He’ll be facing Oswaldo Cabrera and Jahmai Jones." - @BryanHoch

Although there's still no official timeline for Cole's return to the New York Yankees pitching rotation, the fact that he's facing batters is a massive step in the right direction. The veteran will first be eligible to return from the 60-day IL at the end of May. While that appears unlikely, there's a chance that activation at some point in June is realistic.

Despite not having Cole for the entire year, the New York Yankees are one of the MLB's top teams. Heading into Tuesday's matchup against the Seattle Marines, the Yankees are first in the American League East with an impressive 33-16 record. Once Gerrit Cole returns, one of the best teams in the league will only get stronger.

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The New York Yankees rotation has performed admirably without Gerrit Cole

Heading into Tuesday's action, the New York Yankees sit atop the MLB in terms of team ERA.

The Bronx Bombers have a team ERA of 2.86, while they sit fifth in team strikeouts with a whopping 424 Ks. Adding one of the best pitchers in baseball back to this Yankees squad could make them a true contender for the World Series.

"The Yankees have a top 3 rotation in ALL of baseball: 2.95 ERA (3rd) | .217 AVG (3rd) | 24.6% K% (2nd)" - @FiresideYankees

The combination of Clarke Schmidt, Marcus Stroman, Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes and Luis Gil have stepped up for the Yankees in Cole's absence.

It remains to be seen how manager Aaron Boone approaches the rotation when Cole returns, but having elite depth is something that will help the club come playoff time.