Nestor Cortes goes on injured list with ailing elbow in a blow to Yankees’ postseason rotation

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes has a strained flexor in his pitching elbow and was put on the 15-day injured list Wednesday in a blow to New York’s rotation heading into the playoffs.

The left-hander was scratched from his scheduled start against Baltimore on Wednesday night and replaced by Marcus Stroman. The IL move was retroactive to Sunday.

Cortes (9-10, 3.77 ERA) was a candidate to be the Yankees’ third starter in the postseason behind Gerrit Cole (7-5, 3.67) and Carlos Rodón (16-9, 3.98). Cortes was 4-0 with a 1.58 ERA in his last seven starts, striking out 38 and walking 10 in 40 innings.

Already assured of a playoff berth, New York needed one victory in its last five games to clinch the AL East and a first-round bye. The Yankees would open the best-of-five Division Series at home on Oct. 5.

Stroman, rookie Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt are the remaining candidates to start Game 3. Because there are off days between Games 1 and 2 in addition to between Games 2 and 3, a team likely will need only three starters.

New York also recalled right-hander Cody Poteet from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

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