New York Yankees southpaw pitcher Nestor Cortes went into an MRI with mixed emotions. He was prepared for both the best and the worst.
The likelihood of him spending time on the injured list was rising. For weeks, Nestor Cortes had been dealing with shoulder soreness, and it had only gotten worse since his most recent start in Seattle. So the Yankees brought back promising prospect Randy Vasquez to replace Nestor Cortes on the mound on Wednesday night.
The severity of Nestor Cortes’ shoulder injury was the topic everyone was wondering about. Is it possible that we could avoid surgery? If this happens, how many games would he have to miss?
The official diagnosis was released after Tuesday night’s Yankees loss to the White Sox (3-2). Nestor Cortes’ slight shoulder issue requires him to take two weeks off from throwing before he can gradually return to pitching.
“It’s a bummer that I have to sit out for a few weeks,” Nestor Cortes told.
Both Nestor Cortes and Aaron Judge had PRP injections for their injuries on Tuesday. As a result of a contusion and ligament sprain in his right big toe, Captain Judge will also be entering the disabled list. Judge was hurt when, while making a spectacular grab on Saturday, he ran into the right-field wall at Dodger Stadium.
Nestor Cortes said that regular wear and tear, along with the strain of throwing every five days, likely contributed to his injury. He has pitched more innings than ever previously in his MLB career, solidifying his place as a key component of the Yankees’ rotation. However, he has not been as successful in 2023, as evidenced by his 5.16 ERA through 11 starts and 59 1/3 innings.
Nestor Cortes was especially disheartened by the timing of his injury because he had just begun to see progress as a pitcher. He surrendered just two runs in his last start against the Mariners and picked up his fifth victory of the year. Four days later, instead of feeling better, he still had pain in his shoulder, so he told the staff about it and got it checked out.
It is unclear if Randy Vasquez will remain in the rotation for the remainder of Nestor Cortes’ absence or if Wednesday’s start would be his last appearance while Cortes is out. Vasquez allowed two runs on six hits and six strikeouts in four and a third innings in his Major League Baseball debut last month against the Padres. Both scores were courtesy of a home drive by Juan Soto.
Jhony Brito is another option for the Yankees. After a strong start to the season, Brito’s performance has dipped and he has been taken out of the rotation. He made 10 appearances, nine of which were starts, and his ERA was 5.58. Brito was demoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when Luis Severino came off the injured list.
Ryan Weber’s right elbow UCL strain prevents him from helping out at the moment. Tommy John surgery or rehabilitation is being considered as potential treatment for the ailment. While the Yankees were in Los Angeles, Weber was placed on the injured list. Boone has not yet decided what will happen to Weber moving forward.
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