Yankees dealt potential massive injury blow to Nestor Cortes right before playoffs

Heading into Tuesday night, the New York Yankees were on a 12-3 heater and one win away from clinching the AL East. While nobody was guaranteeing a win in the series opener against the Orioles, we can't say many were expecting a back-breaking loss followed by season-altering injury news.

The Yankees lost 5-3 while blowing countless opportunities and the O's clinched a playoff spot. They celebrated in the Bronx. Not the end of the world, because if the Yankees win one, they can get the last word with the partying.

But on Wednesday morning, reports surfaced that Nestor Cortes, who is scheduled to start tonight, will undergo an MRI on his pitching elbow. The left-hander dealt with shoulder issues last year that limited him significantly, but it appeared he was over any major hindrances.

He's appeared in a career-high 31 games and made a career-high 30 starts this season. He's been largely very good, pitching to a 3.77 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 174 1/3 innings.

Though he wasn't necessarily baked in as a member of the postseason rotation, he was seen as a valuable piece for manager Aaron Boone to deploy in various situations. Now, his availability will be in peril.

Yankees dealt potential massive injury blow to Nestor Cortes right before playoffs

Cortes will obviously not pitch in Wednesday's game, and YES Network's Jack Curry is reporting that Cody Poteet is making his way to New York. It's quite possible he gets the start followed by some sort of lengthy bullpen effort.

Nonetheless, this is not what the Yankees need right now. Cortes was trending upward as the Yankees' hottest pitcher and barreling ahead with much-needed momentum before the start of the postseason. New York was in a unique position with their surplus of pitching depth, which just got thinner. And it might stay that way, if we're to believe the initial reporting of the supposed severity.

Cortes allowed just one run and seven hits over his last 15 1/3 innings. The Yankees won all three of those games, and he added an impressive 18 strikeouts in those outings against the Cubs, Red Sox and Mariners.

If Cortes can avoid major surgery, that'll keep him in the fold for 2025, so fans are certainly hoping that's the case. But outside of that? It's really looking like he's on track to miss the remainder of 2024, because the clock is ticking and there's not much time afforded to him to rest.