The New York Yankees activated left-hander Nestor Cortes from the 60-day injured list to start Saturday afternoon’s game against the visiting Houston Astros.
Cortes, 28, has been sidelined due to a strained rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder. Cortes, who last started on May 30, initially was placed on the 15-day injured list on June 8 and moved to the 60-day IL on July 7.
Cortes allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings over two rehab starts for Double-A Somerset.
“I’ve been on the shelf too long,” Cortes said on Wednesday. “I want to come back and obviously show who I am and be back to the same form I was. So excited for this weekend.”
A first-time All-Star in 2022, Cortes is 5-2 with a 5.16 ERA through 11 starts this season. He is 24-11 with a 3.83 ERA in 103 career appearances (55 starts) with the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners and Yankees.
Cortes is 1-1 with an 8.04 ERA in six regular-season appearances (three starts) against Houston. He also faced the Astros in Game 4 of last year’s American League Championship Series but exited after two-plus innings with a groin injury.
New York optioned left-hander Nick Ramirez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following Friday’s 7-3 loss to Houston.
Ramirez, 34, is 0-2 with a 2.48 ERA in 25 relief appearances this season with the Yankees.
–Field Level Media