The New York Yankees are on the verge of clinching the AL East, though they received worrisome news about one of their starting pitchers Wednesday. Left-hander Nestor Cortes, Wednesday's scheduled starter, is getting an MRI on his elbow, reports the YES Network. The team has not yet announced an official diagnosis.
Cortes, 29, leads the Yankees in starts (31) and innings (174 1/3), and has pitched to a 3.77 ERA with strong underlying numbers (3.83 FIP, 3.65 xERA, etc.). New York used Cortes out of the bullpen two weeks ago -- he threw 4 1/3 hitless innings to get a save -- in preparation for a potential relief role in the postseason. He was in the playoff plans one way or another.
Prior to the Cortes news, the Yankees were as healthy as they've been all season on the mound, with injured setup man Jonathan Loáisiga their only notable absence. They had six starters for five rotation spots before the Cortes injury. Their rotation depth chart looks something like this at the moment:
- RHP Gerrit Cole
- LHP Carlos Rodón
- RHP Luis Gil
- RHP Clarke Schmidt
LHP Nestor Cortes(getting MRI on elbow Wednesday)- RHP Marcus Stroman
Stroman was moved into the bullpen last week and has not pitched since Sept. 17. He is the obvious candidate to step in and start Wednesday's game. Righty Cody Poteet is also expected to join the team in New York, per the YES Network, though it's unclear whether he will be added to the active roster or join the taxi squad.
At 92-65, the Yankees have already clinched a postseason berth, and one more win (or one more Baltimore Orioles loss) clinches the AL East title. The Yankees lost Tuesday's game to the O's (BAL 5, NY 3) but still have two more games remaining this series, plus a three-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend.
