Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes, who is continuing to experience issues with his left shoulder in between his starts, is expected to land on the 15-day injured list upon completing an MRI early this week, as first reported by MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
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The southpaw has been dealing with what manager Aaron Boone has described as “achiness” while recovering in between starts, which has prompted the concern from the organization.
Cortes last pitched on Tuesday, May 30 in Seattle against the Mariners in which he allowed just two runs on five hits with six strikeouts and three walks in five innings of work that needed 101 pitches. He was tagged for four runs in six innings against the Baltimore Orioles in his previous start.
It’s been a difficult start to the 2023 season for the 28-year-old, who burst onto the scene last year as an All-Star by going 12-4 with a 2.44 ERA and 0.922 WHIP across 158.1 innings of work. In 11 starts this year, he’s 5-2 but with a 5.16 ERA and a WHIP of 1.298 despite carrying similar analytics — most notably spin rates — on his pitches.
Shelving Cortes would be another damaging loss for a Yankees rotation that is being held together by a thread.
Carlos Rodon, the team’s big signing of the offseason, has yet to pitch an inning for his new club this season due to forearm and back issues. He could be facing hitters shortly as his rehab continues to ramp up.
Frankie Montas, who underwent shoulder surgery, has also not appeared in a game this season but began a throwing program on Tuesday that suggests he could make a return late this season.
The Yankees had also been without Luis Severino for long stretches of the campaign. He’s only made three starts so far.
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