Yankees Place Betances On 60-Day IL; Call Up Cortes, Jr.

Dellin Betances.

On Thursday morning, the Yankees placed reliever Dellin Betances on the 60-day injured list and called up Nestor Cortes, Jr. from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Betances, who has been out since spring training with a shoulder injury, began a throwing program this week at Yankee Stadium.

On Monday, after he made 25 throws from 60 feet on flat ground, the big right-hander said he expects to be back at the end of May at the earliest.

Dellin Betances working out at Yankee Stadium Monday. Photo by Jason Schott.

Nestor Cortes, Jr., a left-hander, was drafted by the Yankees in the 36th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. 
After making his way trough the Yankees system and spending 2016 and '17 at Double-A Trenton and reaching Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2017, Cortes, Jr. was selected by the Orioles in the first round of the Major League phase of the 2017 Rule 5 Draft on December 14, 2017.
Cortes, Jr. made his Major League debut with the Orioles last season, as he pitched in four games (4.2 innings, 10 hits, 4 runs (all earned), 2 home runs, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts) before he was designated for assignment on April 10 and returned to the Yankees on April 13.
He made one appearance in Trenton (3-1/3 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts) before returning to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he appeared in 23 games, with 18 starts, and threw 111.2 innings, allowing 50 runs (46 earned), 95 hits, 13 home runs, 37 walks, and 96 strikeouts.
In six appearances, including five starts for Scranton/WB this season, Cortes, Jr. has a 4.54 ERA, with 33.2 innings pitched, 17 runs (all earned), 28 hits (3 HR), 11 walks, and 34 strikeouts.
Cortes Jr. had the second-lowest ERA in the Minor Leagues from 2016-18 at 2.46, allowing just 89 earned runs in 325.2 innings pitched.

On Thursday afternoon, Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said of what Cortes, Jr. can bring, "Pitch-ability, he's a strike-thrower, he's got length. We really like who he is in the room, really liked him in spring training. He's a guy that I'm looking forward to having as part of the staff because, in a lot of different situations, I feel like he can go out there and give us important outs and innings. Looking forward to him being here and glad he's here."

JAKE BARRETT: On Wednesday night, the Yankees optioned right-handed reliever Jake  Barrett to Triple-A Scranton.Wilkes-Barre. Barrett made two appearances for the Yankees, throwing 3.2 innings, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits, with 2 home runs, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts.