New York Yankees placing Nestor Cortes on injured list with groin injury, sources confirm

The New York Yankees will place left-handed pitcher Nestor Cortes on the injured list due to a groin injury, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.

To replace Cortes on the active roster, the Yankees will promote minor league right-hander Greg Weissert, sources said.

Cortes has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season, posting a 2.68 ERA over 131 innings and making his first All-Star Game earlier this season. He has blown past his previous career high in innings pitched and never topped more than 115 in the minor leagues. Cortes sits second in the Yankee rotation in fWAR with 2.6, behind Gerrit Cole.

The move to place Cortes on the injured list was first reported by The Athletic.

The Yankees enjoyed a clean slate of health throughout the first half of the season but have been dealing with many injuries of late. Yankees manager Aaron Boone is now down to Cole, Domingo German, Frankie Montas and Jameson Taillon in his rotation.

One possible solution would be to move Clarke Schmidt into the rotation. Schmidt has mostly been in the bullpen for the Yankees this season but was stretched out to pitch starter innings when he was briefly sent down to the minor leagues.

The Yankees are also expecting Luis Severino (lat strain) to return to the rotation from the injured list by mid-September. In the bullpen, Zack Britton made his first minor league appearance Wednesday since undergoing Tommy John surgery in September and closer Clay Holmes (back) could rejoin the team in the near future from the IL.

Weissert has pitched in 40 games for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders this season, posting a 1.76 ERA with 18 saves and 67 strikeouts in 46 innings.