Yankees' Cortes returns to IL with rotator cuff strain

New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left rotator cuff strain, the team announced Friday.

It's the second time Cortes landed on the IL with the ailment this season. He missed over two months of action after suffering the initial strain in June.

Cortes said he'll be shut down from throwing for about a month. While he's hoping to return late in the season, it's possible he won't be back until 2024.

"It's definitely tough," he said, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. "If we're going to make a run at it, we need everyone healthy, not only myself but (Carlos) Rodon and all the other pitchers."

Manager Aaron Boone said the team will re-evaluate Cortes in a few weeks but admitted it'd be "pretty difficult" for the left-hander to make it back this year, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News.

Last Saturday, Cortes came off the 60-day IL and made his first start for the Yankees since May 30. He was limited to 64 pitches but looked sharp, allowing just one earned run and one hit while striking out eight over four innings of work.

Cortes was scheduled to start again Saturday.

The 28-year-old was a breakout star for New York in 2022, when he finished eighth in AL Cy Young voting and was named to the AL All-Star team. He's made only 12 starts this year because of the shoulder issues, posting a 4.97 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with 67 strikeouts and 20 walks in 63.1 innings.

It's the latest blow to a Yankees team in the midst of a second-half spiral. Issues with their rotation, outside of ace Gerrit Cole, have played a big role in their ongoing collapse. The Yankees lost Rodon to a hamstring injury earlier this month, while Luis Severino's struggles have grown with each start.

New York enters play Friday holding down last place in the AL East, sitting five games back of the final wild-card spot and only three games above .500.

The Yankees recalled right-handers Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a pair of corresponding roster moves.