New York Yankees Send Pitcher ‘Nasty’ Nestor Cortes to the IL

New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes is headed to the IL with a left shoulder injury.

New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes winds up against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. (Image: Getty)

The Yankees recently completed a six-game road trip on the West Coast. Cortes will on Monday or Tuesday to gauge the severity of his shoulder injury, and he s expected to miss a few starts.

We don t think it s anything too major, said manager Aaron Boone. The last couple of times recovering in between, he s had that achiness. That s the trainers sense, that this is probably not surgery. But then again, we re speculating there.

Cortes was slated to start on Tuesday to open a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox, but righty Clarke Schmidt will now get the call. Rookie right-hander Jhony Brito (3-3, 5.58 ERA, 1.49 WHIP) is expected to replace Cortes in the rotation.

The Yankees are dealing with multiple injuries to their starting rotation. Right-hander with a lat strain and finally made his season debut in May. Veteran righty Frankie Montas will miss the entire season while recovering from shoulder surgery.

The Yankees signed left-handed in the off-season, but he has yet to pitch an inning. Rodon began the season on the IL with a strained forearm, but chronic back pain derailed his rehab. There is no timetable for Rodon, but the Yankees hope he can make his first start by the end of June.

Cortes Extra Sore, Not as Nasty

Pitchers experience soreness after every start, but Cortes has been suffering from excessive soreness. Cortes didn t think he sustained an injury and never told the training staff about the lingering soreness.

He was unable to pitch in a bullpen session on his off day last week, and finally told Boone and the trainers about his injury.

Hopefully, these images come back better, and I ll do some exercises and some treatment, Cortes told reporters. If it s just inflamed, hopefully the inflammation goes down and I ll get ready to pitch again.

Cortes emerged as a valuable member of the rotation last season and earned the moniker “Nasty Nestor” for his dominance on the mound. In 28 starts in 2022, the left-handed Cortes went 12-4 with a 2.44 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. He posted a WAR of 4.2.

Cortes nursed a hamstring injury in spring training and missed one start in the opening week of the season.

Cortes started 11 total games this season, but he hasn t looked as sharp as he did last season. He posted a 5-2 record with a 5.16 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, with 59 strikeouts. His current WAR is 0.1.

The Yankees went 3-1 in Cortes first four starts, and he began the season with a 3-0 record. His next four starts were rough outings. He had an 0-2 record and two no-decisions, but the Yankees went 2-2 in those outings.

Cortes bounced back with solid performances in his last three outings. The Yankees went 2-1 and he won two games.

In his last start against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, Cortes tossed a season-high 101 pitches in a 10-2 victory. He coughed up two runs, gave up five hits, and struck out six in five innings.