Why Nestor Cortes Landing on Injured List Can 'Serve Him Well'

Cortes was placed on the 15-day injured list on Thursday with a left groin strain.

OAKLAND — No team wants to lose a key piece of their starting rotation to the injured list. In this case, however, the Yankees believe Nestor Cortes can benefit from a stint on the IL.

Cortes was placed on the 15-day injured list on Thursday with a left groin strain, an injury the starter sustained while throwing one of the first few pitches of his previous start (on Sunday against the Blue Jays).

"We had an MRI, showed the strain," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Thursday's series opener against the Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland., a 13-4 win "Hopefully it's not something that costs him more than a couple of starts."

Boone went on to explain that by giving Cortes a blow over the next few weeks, it'll "serve him well," giving his body a much-needed break. The left-hander is already 38 innings beyond his previous career-high in a single season (131 over 23 starts in 2022).

"He's up and moving already, I actually threw with him out here," Boone added. "He was doing agility drills, so he's hitting the ground already in the rehab process."

In Cortes' place, right-hander Clarke Schmidt will slot into the starting rotation. He's scheduled to pitch on Sunday afternoon against the Athletics. 

Cortes also spoke to reporters on Thursday, revealing that he's already doing some sprints. He thinks he'll be ready to come off the IL after the allotted 15 days. Boone cautioned that it might be longer, though, saying they're looking at a two-to-three week window, taking things day by day along the way. 

With six weeks remaining in the regular season, that would give Cortes plenty of time to recapture his form before the postseason begins, crucial for New York if they hope to go deep into the playoffs this fall.

"That's hopefully the side effect that you hope is a good thing, charges the battery, keeps him a little fresher down the stretch and into what we hope is the postseason," Boone added. "But first things first is making sure we get him right."

Cortes was an All-Star for the first time this season. He has posted a 2.68 ERA with a 9-4 record and 2.6 fWAR.

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