The Yankees starting rotation took another hit on Thursday. The battered and bruised Bombers will lose Nestor Cortes to the 15-day injured list.
The righty will go on the IL with a groin injury and reliever Greg Weissert will join the team in Oakland. The absence of Cortes puts the Yankees starting rotation in a tough spot as the team continues to try and work out of their current funk.
The Athletic had been first to report the Cortes injury.
Cortes had been a surprise star for New York, appearing in his first career MLB All-Star Game and has a 9-4 record in 23 start for the Yankees this season. He has also posted a 2.68 ERA and struck out 133 batters this season.
The Yankees have been forced to deal with the absence of Luis Severino, who is likely out until September, and general manager Brian Cashman dealt Jordan Montgomery at the deadline. With Cortes out for the 15-day period, that leaves Gerrit Cole, Domingo Germán, Frankie Montas and Jameson Taillon as the team’s remaining starters.
Clarke Schmidt is up with the team at the moment and had played a starter role in Triple-A, which could elevate the strain on the starting rotation. He has also made a spot start in the majors this season.
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The Yankees have had to deal with a number of injuries over the course of the season and this past month had seen their double-digit lead in the division shrink to single digits. New York has won three straight games and will begin a 10-game road trip beginning in Oakland on Thursday night.
In addition to the Cortes news, the Yankees also placed Harrison Bader on the 60-day IL. He has been sidelined with Plantar fasciitis since New York acquired him from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline.
