Ryan Weathers' injury update gives Yankees fans Nestor Cortes World Series PTSD

Ryan Weathers suffering an injury on Saturday against the Blue Jays was just about the worst possible timing for the Yankees. Max Fried's already on the IL and Carlos Rodón needs a bit of time to build back up. And now this means Elmer Rodriguez or Ryan Yarbrough are likely in line for the final spot in the rotation.

It's not the end of the world at the moment, but it's not great. There's enough to get the Yankees to the finish line, but it might not be enough for them to earnestly close the gap in the AL East and get that first-round bye.

So then what's the best scenario for the postseason? That would be them getting as healthy as possible and seeing Weathers return to take on some sort of bullpen role. The only problem with that? His current timeline is giving Yankees unpleasant flashbacks.

In 2024, Nestor Cortes suffered a forearm strain at the end of September and it was unclear if he'd be back for the team's postseason run. As fate would have it, Cortes was healthy enough to return for the World Series matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers. At the time, it was a promising development ... but the Yankees' execution was what forced everything to spiral.

This time around, Weathers has a similar diagnosis/timeline as Cortes, whose first game action since going down in 2024 was in extra innings of Game 1 of the Fall Classic. He famously surrendered the walk-off grand slam to Freddie Freeman that changed the course of history. Why the Yankees chose to use him in that spot after he hadn't pitched for a month, we will never know.

And now they MUST make sure they do not do that with Weathers, who could be healthy just in time for the first round of the playoffs and will not have pitched in a month.

Aaron Boone provides update on Ryan Weathers but Yankees should be cautious

Let's assume Weathers is shut down for three weeks for this thought experiment. That would mean he can resume activity in the middle of September. Give him another 1-2 weeks of ramp-up, and then we're right there — the playoffs start on Sept. 29. If the Yankees somehow manage to avoid the Wild Card series, then we're looking at an Oct. 3 start for the ALDS.

Regardless of the situation, though, Weathers would be returning with next to no game action before October ... unless we see a best-case scenario two-week shutdown. And even then there's no guarantee the Yankees rush to make that happen.

Don't get us wrong; it's a massive exhale that Weathers' UCL is still intact and we're not looking at a lost 2027, too. It's major that he's not going to miss all of 2026. But we'd be lying if we said this didn't elicit unpleasant memories.

It's on the Yankees to make sure Weathers — who has been tremendous for the 2026 roster — is given a soft landing upon his return as to not repeat history. Because seeing him deployed for 2-3 innings out a time from the bullpen in October is something to look forward to if it's done right.

They gotta get there first without his contributions. There's a road ahead, but Sunday's victory has us feeling as good as we ever have. So let's keep the good vibes alive.

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