Yankees' Nestor Cortes Placed on 15-Day IL with Elbow Injury Before 2024 MLB Playoffs

The New York Yankees announced Wednesday that starting pitcher Nestor Cortes has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow flexor strain, retroactive to Sept. 22.

In a corresponding move, right-handed pitcher Cody Poteet was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, while Marcus Stroman will start Wednesday's matchup with the Baltimore Orioles.

That means the Yankees—assuming they win the AL East and secure one of the top two berths in the American League, earning a bye—likely will be without Cortes for the their ALDS series.

It's a big loss. The 29-year-old has gone 9-10 this season with a 3.77 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 162 strikeouts in 30 starts, a major bounce-back campaign after his injury-plagued 2023.

Granted, the Yankees have a surplus in the starting rotation, with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil, Cortes and Stroman all capable options. The Yankees had tried both Cortes and Stroman in the bullpen down the stretch, likely anticipating a condensed rotation come the postseason.

Cole and Rodón should lead that rotation, with Schmidt a strong option to be the No. 3 starter and Gil likely the frontrunner for the fourth spot should the Yankees go four deep. That would leave both Stroman and Cortes to come out of the bullpen as long relievers, a nice bit of depth for the team.

"We are as whole as we've been, really in several years," manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Saturday. "There have been a lot of years where we've had good seasons, where we've gotten to postseasons, where we had some attrition, where we've had some key guys go down for us. I feel like we're getting guys back now."

Perhaps Boone should have knocked on wood after making those comments. The team's pitching depth is now reduced, at least to start the postseason.