New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes is heading to the injured list — again.
After returning from an initial 60-day placement on the IL, which kept Cortes sidelined throughout all of June and July, the left-hander once again is set to miss some time on the mound. This time, Cortes lands on the 15-day IL with a left rotator cuff strain, per team announcement.
Cortes made just one start, tossing four innings Sunday against the Houston Astros, before getting nailed by yet another setback — one that could cost him the remainder of the 2023 season.
“Hopefully it’s not too much of a setback for him, but obviously could potentially cost him the season,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Friday, per YES Network video. “… It’ll probably be tough with that kind of timeline. I know they’re gonna re-evaluate I think in three weeks so you’re talking three to four weeks of no throw, so it’d be pretty difficult.”
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This couldn’t come at a worse time for the Yankees.
Losing Cortes is a major blow that the Yankees haven’t proven to be capable of navigating. Last season, Cortes finished eighth in American League Cy Young voting, and in 2023, gave the Yankees five-plus innings in nine of 11 starts made, recording a rocky 4.97 ERA.
New York entered Friday at the bottom of the American League East, trailing the Toronto Blue Jay by five games in the AL wild-card race with 47 contests left to play. But with an offense that’s compiled more hits (872) than just the 33-82 Oakland Athletics (836), there isn’t a lot of room for optimism for the Yankees.
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Pending some heroic late-season spark that most likely won’t take place for the Yankees, this could be the nail in their coffin.
Featured image via Wendell Cruz/USA TODAY Sports Images
