New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole made his first rehab appearance for the Double-A Somerset Patriots on Tuesday as he attempts to return from nerve irritation and edema in his right elbow, throwing 3.1 scoreless innings with just two hits and no walks.

And he believes his return to the big leagues is nearing.

"Definitely close," he told reporters. "I'm not sure how many more we need, but definitely closer rather than farther away. It should be right around the corner here."

Cole, who has yet to pitch for the Yankees this season, was happy to get back out on the mound.

"I thought it was really fun overall," he said. "It was a nice environment. It felt really great to get back out there and get back in the flow of things."

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Gerrit Cole finishes his outing with his 5th strikeout of the evening and leaves to a standing ovation from the Somerset crowd<br><br>Final line: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 45 pitches <a href="">

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Gerrit Cole reaches 97 mph as he gets a flyout in a perfect second inning <a href="">

In most seasons, the loss of a superstar like Cole would have been devastating to New York's rotation. But this season, Nestor Cortés, Marcus Stroman, Clarke Schmidt, Carlos Rodón and Luis Gil have been spectacular, playing a huge role in the team's 43-19 start to the season, tying them for the best record in baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Granted, Schmidt is now dealing with a lat strain that could keep him on the injured list for 4-6 weeks. But getting back Cole sometime in the next month would help mitigate that loss.

The 33-year-old was the AL Cy Young winner last season, going 15-4 in 33 starts with a 2.63 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 222 strikeouts across 209 innings. He's a six-time All-Star, including in each of the past three seasons, and the Yankees will be a truly formidable team if he's able to return to his 2023 form.

They've more than treaded water without him to this point.