Nestor Cortes Injury Update: Latest health status and recovery period of Yankees lefty

The New York Yankees have received a massive boost regarding Nestor Cortes' recovery. The left-handed pitcher is reportedly set to start on Saturday against the Houston Astros.

Cortes has been on the road to recovery after suffering a shoulder injury at the end of May. He was placed on the 60-day IL but only recently began pitching in the Double-A for Somerset last week.

While Cortes has been out of action for over two months, the Yankees will be glad that he's returning to action during the business end of the campaign. The New York outfit recently announced that Domingo German will not be pitching for the remainder of the season.

German was placed on the restricted list after the pitcher agreed to voluntarily submit to inpatient treatment for alcohol abuse. The 30-year-old's absence was another setback for the struggling team.

Now, all eyes will be on Cortes when he returns to the Yankees lineup this weekend. However, reports claim that New York won't risk him making more than 60 pitches against the Astros.

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Nestor Cortes' stats in the 2023 MLB season

New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes

Nestor Cortes had a fairly decent season before his injury at the end of May. The pitcher racked up 59 strikeouts and 19 walks in 59.1 innings pitched at a 5.16 ERA in the 2023 MLB season. The New York Yankees will be hoping that he improves on his record for the remainder of the campaign.

The Yankees are currently fifth in the AL East with a 57-52 record. Aaron Boone's team is still 10 games behind divisional leaders Baltimore Orioles.

Although New York is still in the hunt for a playoff berth, it will need to step up in the final stretch of the season in a highly competitive division. The key players at the franchise, including Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole and others will need to play big roles if the Yankees want to make it to the postseason.