Yankees put Nestor Cortes on IL, unsure he'll return in 2024

NEW YORK -- Nestor Cortes was slated to start Wednesday night against the Baltimore Orioles as the New York Yankees looked to clinch the American League East title. Instead, the team put the left-hander on the 15-day injured list because of a "left elbow flexor strain" retroactive to Sunday after he underwent an MRI exam.

Cortes said he did not know the severity of the strain, but that the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow "looks good." He said he would not throw for the next seven to 10 days and expected to receive a platelet-rich plasma injection as an attempt to accelerate healing.

Cortes said the imaging taken Wednesday would be sent to Dr. Neal ElAttrache and Dr. Keith Meister, two of the leading orthopedic surgeons for reconstructive elbow surgery, for second and third opinions.

Going on the injured list ensures Cortes will not be available for the start of the AL Division Series on Oct. 5, though his absence should extend longer than that. Though he shared hope he could return in 2024, manager Aaron Boone struck a different tone.

"I don't know if [I'm] optimistic," Boone said. "I mean, we're not ruling it out yet. First things first, the next week to 10 days, at least, has to unfold to really see what we're dealing with and see if there is any chance."

The Yankees turned to Marcus Stroman, who recently shifted to the bullpen, to start in Cortes' place Wednesday. Stroman (10-9), who last pitched eight days earlier, struggled mightily, allowing six runs on 10 hits in 3.1 innings as the Orioles kept the Yankees from clinching thanks to a 9-7 win.

New York also called up Cody Poteet, who was recently activated from the 60-day injured list and sent to Triple-A. He also pitched in Wednesday's game, allowing one run in 3.1 innings of relief.

A former 36th-round pick, Cortes was an All-Star in 2022 and, after an injury-plagued 2023 season, was enjoying a bounce-back campaign, posting a 3.77 ERA across a team-leading 174 innings pitched across 30 starts. Still, he was the subject of trade rumors at the deadline and was expected to pitch out of the bullpen in the postseason. His recent performance did not suggest he has been dealing with any elbow trouble; he gave up one run with 18 strikeouts in 15 innings over his past three outings.

The stretch began with Cortes tossing 4 hitless innings in his first relief appearance of the season against the Chicago Cubs,and afterward sharing his frustration with moving to the bullpen. He returned to the rotation five days later, limiting the Boston Red Sox to one run with nine strikeouts across five innings. On Sept. 18, he held the Seattle Mariners to four hits over six scoreless innings.

But Cortes said he began feeling discomfort before his relief appearance in Chicago. Bouncing back after each subsequent appearance became increasingly difficult. But Cortes, who said he doesn't believe briefly changing roles caused the injury, pitched through it, believing the problem would subside until he threw a bullpen session Sunday in Oakland and reported the issue to the team. On Tuesday, after playing catch, he told the team he didn't feel good enough to make his start Wednesday.

"I don't think I was able to go out there and throw 100 pitches," Cortes said. "Could have I gone out there and thrown? Definitely. Quality? Probably not. We're trying to win as many games as possible and I don't think I would've been the guy or the answer for us to win today so i decided to say something."

The Yankees have, for the most part, benefited from good injury luck in recent weeks. Clarke Schmidt, Anthony Rizzo, Jon Berti, Ian Hamilton and Luis Gil also have been reinstated from the injured list since Sept. 1. The reinforcements made the Yankees more whole than just about any other club in baseball.

It also gave the Yankees a problem that teams would love to confront down the stretch: having six healthy, capable starting pitchers for five spots. The surplus prompted the Yankees to move Cortes to the bullpen for one rotation turn before switching Stroman with him for the next turn.

On Wednesday, that surplus took a hit.

"He's been throwing the ball well so well and has put together a really good year," Boone said. "Certainly feel for him right now and just have to pick up the slack there and support him right now."