New York Yankees’ up-and-coming starter lands on the injured list after devastating blow

The New York Yankees’ rotation was on track to enter the postseason at full strength – until now.

On Wednesday afternoon, the club announced that left-handed starter Nestor Cortes Jr. had been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a strained left elbow flexor. A few hours earlier, YES Network’s Jack Curry reported that Cortes, who was scheduled to start Wednesday against the Orioles, underwent an MRI.

In his absence, Marcus Stroman will be reinstated in the rotation and fellow right-hander Cody Poteet has been recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. This injury will likely keep Cortes out of action at least until the start of the ALDS, although flexor muscle strains are known to linger well past the 15-day mark.

Cortes, 29, has had a remarkable run of late, allowing just one earned run in his last 15.1 innings and not allowing more than one earned run in six of his last seven appearances. This season, he has a 3.77 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 22.8% strikeout rate and 5.5% walk rate in 174.1 innings, which is a career high, while starting 30 of his 31 appearances.

Earlier this month, the veteran left-hander was moved to the bullpen for rotation duty, but quickly returned to the starting lineup, replacing Stroman. With Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt filling the top four rotation spots, it remains unclear whether the Yankees would use Cortes as a starter or reliever in the postseason. Regardless, he was expected to be a key asset for a team that has only two left-handed relievers on its 40-man roster – Tim Hill and Tim Mayza – neither of whom are as effective at missing the ball as Cortes.

Stroman will take Cortes’ place in the starting lineup for now as the regular season comes to a close, likely making him the best option for the postseason barring further injuries. The Yankees are one win away from clinching the AL East title, with two games remaining against the Orioles before they close out the regular season with a three-game home series against the Pirates.