Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon will return to the injured list, where he began the season, after suffering from a hamstring strain in his most recent start against the Astros Sunday. The Yankees signed Rodon to a six-year, $162 million contract in the offseason.

After several mediocre starts following his return in July, Rodon’s first two starts in August were similarly poor. After the former White Sox and Giants ace allowed five runs in 2.2 innings against Houston, the Yankees elected to place him on the 15-day injured list instead of risking further injury. Rodon reportedly wanted to play through the pain.

“There was some debate — and he certainly wants to pitch, he does not want to go on the IL, feels like he can pitch through this,” manager Aaron Boone said before New York’s game Monday. “But we just felt like if it was going to be six or seven days, and with the nature of the injury, especially as he’s been through some things this year trying to get going, didn’t want to put him out there in a compromising situation.”

In six starts this season, Rodon has earned a 1-4 record and 7.33 ERA, far removed from his All-Star seasons in Chicago and San Francisco in 2021 and 2022, respectively. His absence and subsequent lack of production have been one of many reasons behind the Yankees’ 2023 skid. The team is currently in last place in the AL East and 5.5 games back in the Wild Card standings.

Rodon has not been the only Yankees starter affected by setbacks, as much of the rotation has missed time at some point. Nestor Cortes, a revelation for the team last year when he proved to be a highly effective No. 2 starter, just recently returned from injury.

Domingo German, who pitched a perfect game against the Athletics last month, recently left the team in order to receive treatment for alcohol abuse. Gerrit Cole has been consistent and effective as the team’s ace and has been one of the best in baseball, but these efforts have not been enough to solve serious issues throughout the rest of the roster.

Rodon could return later this month, pending approval from the team’s management and medical personnel.

New York Yankees pitcher Domingo German entered an inpatient treatment facility for alcohol abuse Wednesday. The organization said that he is on the restricted list and will not pitch for the team again this season.

Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said that German will receive respect and privacy from the team as he seeks help.

“Certainly it’s a very serious issue that affects way too many people, unfortunately, and hopefully the steps that are being taken today will really benefit him for the remaining part of his life because it’s a very serious problem that you need to address head-on and these treatment places are significant steps hopefully to helping him get the tools to solve it,” Cashman said.

German made headlines last month after throwing a perfect game against the Oakland Athletics, the 24th in MLB history. Beyond that triumphant night, however, he was struggling in 2023, earning a 5-7 record and 4.56 ERA.

Alcohol use was allegedly a major aspect of German’s 2019 domestic violence scandal when he slapped his girlfriend at a social gathering with Yankees teammates. After returning home that night, his girlfriend locked herself in a room and called one of German’s teammates’ wives for assistance, claiming that he was intoxicated and belligerent.

“It just affects you as a human being,” fellow Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole said after the team’s game Wednesday night. “You care about your teammates. You care about your teammates’ families. So it’s a sad situation and you want the best for Domingo.”

Since joining the Yankees in 2017, German has shown flashes of brilliance on the mound, compiling an 18-4 record in 2019, but has also struggled with poor play and injuries. Nestor Cortes, the team’s rising star last season, will soon return from injury to replace German in the rotation.

“Domingo Germán has certainly been a part of the Yankee family and he’s dealing with a very serious issue and I certainly think we’re all going to keep him in our prayers as he takes very important but necessary steps in trying to deal with this problem,” Cashman said.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Frankie Montas will miss at least the first half of the 2023 season as he recovers from surgery to his right shoulder. The operation Wednesday was successful, and he will begin throwing again in May.

“Everything went according to plan,” manager Aaron Boone told NBC Sports. “We’re day one out of surgery, so we have a long way to go from there. We’re hopeful at some point he can get back but I don’t want to best case, worst case.”

Last season, Montas had a number of minor setbacks as a member of both the Athletics and Yankees, as various arm issues forced him to miss multiple starts. In January, he first reported inflammation in his shoulder and subsequent tests confirmed that he would require arthroscopic surgery.

Though Montas’ timetable for recovery is still unclear, if the pitcher begins throwing in 12 weeks as planned, he could be available to appear on the mound over the summer. In eight games for New York last season, Montas compiled a 1-3 record and 6.35 ERA. Before he was traded, he earned a 4-9 record with a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts for Oakland. He is signed to the Yankees through the 2023 season and will enter free agency in 2024.

Montas was signed by the Red Sox in 2009 and traded to the White Sox in 2013, but the pitcher did not become a consistent major league starter until 2018, when he played his first full season for the Athletics. He quickly became a reliable arm for Oakland, even as the team struggled.

In addition to Montas’ surgery, the Yankees are also overseeing the recoveries of pitcher Nestor Cortes and minor-league catcher Ben Rortvedt. Rortvedt underwent surgery on Wednesday as well to treat an aneurysm in a shoulder artery, which had been causing circulation issues in his hand. Cortes is further along in his recovery from a right hamstring injury and has thrown off the mound twice in recent weeks.

For Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes, a ring in October can wait a little while longer. Following the All-Star Game, in which he made his first career appearance, the lefthander proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Alondra Esteras Russy, who said yes after a seven-year relationship. In an Instagram post, Cortes described becoming an All-Star and fiance as two dreams coming true at once.

“Through ups and downs we manage to keep each other happy,” Cortes said. “I thank you for being by my side for every struggle I’ve had but also all the success.”

Beyond an eventful All-Star break, Cortes has had a stellar season for the Yankees, who are currently dominating the AL East with a 64-28 record. Behind presumptive ace and fellow All-Star Gerrit Cole, he has taken on an extremely effective complementary role and excelled at times. In 17 starts, the fifth-year pitcher has compiled a 7-3 record with a 2.63 ERA and 99 strikeouts. A surefire All-Star, he threw one scoreless frame in the game while striking out two batters.

Though little is known about Cortes’ fiancee, who typically stays out of the spotlight, posts on social media indicate that the couple met in 2015. She has been with him for his entire career, from his humble beginnings as a 23-year-old reliever for the Baltimore Orioles to all three of his stints with the Yankees, as well as one in Seattle. She regularly posts photos from the stands on social media, and like Cortes, she also took to Instagram to announce the engagement.

With a postseason run coming for the Yankees and a wedding in the near future as well, Cortes’ good string of fortune seems likely to continue for some time. Once a struggling pitcher bouncing between teams in search of starting opportunities, he is now a key contributor to a World Series contender. Nothing is ever certain in baseball, but regardless of the result at the end of the season, there will be at least one fan of Cortes in the stands who will never waver.

Baseball analyst and Minnesota Twins analyst, Jim Kaat is under fire again for insensitive comments regarding a player once again. During the broadcast of the Detroit Tigers-Minnesota Twins matchup on Thursday, Kaat referred to Yankee’s left-handed pitcher Nestor Cortes as “Nestor the Molester” while previewing the Twins-Yankees matchup for June 7. “‘Nestor the Molester,’ Nestor Cortes, Man, he is fun to watch,” Kaat said while praising Cortes’ play after the pitched seven shutout innings against the Los Angeles Angeles on Thursday.

Cortes said after the game that he didn’t feel that Kaat made the statement with any ill intentions. “I’m sure, you know, he didn’t really mean it, and people make mistakes, but it didn’t offend me at all, so, you know, I don’t really have anything more than just that, honestly,” he said. Cortes further supported this in a social media post, “Jim Kaat has spent an entire lifetime in this game we love. He reached out to me and apologized for his remark last night, but he didn’t need to. We all make mistakes and feel 100% there was no malice intended. I plan on lifting him up with this tweet and I hope others do too. No sweat here Jim!”

This is the second time that Kaat has come under fire for insensitive comments while discussing a player. During last year’s playoffs, while discussing All-Star Yuan Moncada with fellow analyst Buck Showalter, Kaat said, “get a 40-acre field full of them [Moncadas].” This received immediate backlash due to the implications of references to slavery.

Kaat apologized quickly saying later in the game, “In fact, I need to read this right now, because earlier in the game when Yoán Moncada was at the plate in an attempt to compliment the great player, I used a poor choice of words that resulted in a sensitive hurtful remark. And I’m sorry.”

As of today, Kaat has not released a statement regarding his comments about Cortes, however, the Minnesota Twins said that they would handle the matter “internally and privately.”

Cortes who has been given the nickname “Nasty Cortes” has been sensational with a 5-1 record and an ERA of 1.50, the lowest in the MLB.