New York Yankees Lose Another All-Star Pitcher to IL

The New York Yankees' starting rotation has taken another hit.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The hits keep on coming for the New York Yankees.

On Friday, the Yankees placed starting pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr. on the 15-day injured list with a left rotator cuff strain, retroactive to August 8.

As Cortes told reporters, he will be shut down from throwing for about a month. He hopes to pitch again this season, but is unsure if he will get the chance.

Cortes missed two months from June 8-August 5 with the same issue, a rotator cuff strain.

This is a major blow for a Yankee rotation that recently lost Carlos Rodon to the IL with a hamstring strain. They also lost Domingo German for the season, who was checked into an inpatient program for alcohol abuse.

Without Cortes, Rodon and German, the Yankees' rotation will feature: Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Severino, Jhony Brito and Randy Vazquez.

Severino, in particularly, has struggled immensely. In 13 starts (14 games), the righty is 2-7 with a 8.06 ERA across 63.2 innings.

It will be left up to Brito and Vazquez to try and carry the slack for Cortes and Rodon, as the Yankees try to make a push for a playoff berth.

Entering play on Friday, the Yankees are 59-56 and five games out of the final Wild Card spot in the American League. New York is in danger of missing the postseason for the first time since 2016.