NEW YORK — Yankees ace Gerrit Cole took a significant step in his rehab Saturday, throwing off of a mound for the first time since being shut down during spring training with elbow inflammation.

Cole threw 15 pitches, all fastballs, in the Yankee Stadium bullpen and sat at around 89 mph, he said. He threw 13 of the pitches for strikes.

“It was exciting,” Cole said afterward. “This is a good day for me. I was fired up.”

Cole, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, took the field just before 10:30 a.m. and played catch on flat ground for about 10 minutes before moving into the bullpen.

Saturday’s development came just under a month after the 33-year-old right-hander resumed playing catch.

“It’s a progression [to throw] off a mound, but I’ve got to see how the next 48 hours go before I decide when I’m gonna get off the mound again,” Cole said.

Cole acknowledged there’s still work to be done, estimating that on a scale of one to 10 in terms of game-readiness, he’s somewhere between a one and a five.

Currently on the 60-day injured list, Cole is eligible to be activated as soon as May 27, but the Yankees have not put a timeline on his return.

“We certainly know what Gerrit brings to the table, hopefully at some point this summer,” manager Aaron Boone said Saturday. “Right now, it’s about Gerrit doing what he needs to do to get right and get back and get healthy.”

Cole made one start in spring training, throwing 39 pitches on March 1, and also threw 47 pitches in a March 7 simulated game. He reported having trouble bouncing back between outings, prompting a battery of tests and a visit with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles.

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