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NEW YORK — Nestor Cortes was slated to start Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles as the New York Yankees look to clinch the American League East title. Instead, the team put the left-hander on the 15-day injured list because of a “left elbow flexor strain” retroactive to Sunday after he underwent an MRI exam.

Cortes said he did not know the severity of the strain, but that the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow “looks good.” He said he would not throw for the next seven to 10 days and expected to receive a platelet-rich plasma injection as an attempt to accelerate healing.

Cortes said the imaging taken Wednesday would be sent to Dr. Neal ElAttrache and Dr. Keith Meister, two of the leading orthopedic surgeons for reconstructive elbow surgery, for second and third opinions.

Going on the injured list ensures Cortes will not be available for the start of the AL Division Series on Oct. 5, though his absence should extend longer than that. Though he shared hope he could return in 2024, manager Aaron Boone struck a different tone.

“I don’t know if [I’m] optimistic,” Boone said. “I mean, we’re not ruling it out yet. First things first, the next week to 10 days, at least, has to unfold to really see what we’re dealing with and see if there is any chance.”

The Yankees turned to Marcus Stroman, who recently shifted to the bullpen, to start in Cortes’ place Wednesday. Stroman last pitched eight days earlier, throwing three innings in his first and only relief appearance this season. The club also called up Cody Poteet, who was recently activated from the 60-day injured list and sent to Triple-A.

A former 36th-round pick, Cortes was an All-Star in 2022 and, after an injury-plagued 2023 season, was enjoying a bounce-back campaign, posting a 3.77 ERA across a team-leading 174⅓ innings pitched across 30 starts. Still, he was the subject of trade rumors at the deadline and was expected to pitch out of the bullpen in the postseason. His recent performance did not suggest he has been dealing with any elbow trouble; he gave up one run with 18 strikeouts in 15⅓ innings over his past three outings.

The stretch began with Cortes tossing 4⅓ hitless innings in his first relief appearance of the season against the Chicago Cubs, and afterward sharing his frustration with moving to the bullpen. He returned to the rotation five days later, limiting the Boston Red Sox to one run with nine strikeouts across five innings. On Sept. 18, he held the Seattle Mariners to four hits over six scoreless innings.

But Cortes said he began feeling discomfort before his relief appearance in Chicago. Bouncing back after each subsequent appearance became increasingly difficult. But Cortes, who said he doesn’t believe briefly changing roles caused the injury, pitched through it, believing the problem would subside until he threw a bullpen session Sunday in Oakland and reported the issue to the team. On Tuesday, after playing catch, he told the team he didn’t feel good enough to make his start Wednesday.

“I don’t think I was able to go out there and throw 100 pitches,” Cortes said. “Could have I gone out there and thrown? Definitely. Quality? Probably not. We’re trying to win as many games as possible and I don’t think I would’ve been the guy or the answer for us to win today so i decided to say something.”

The Yankees have, for the most part, benefited from good injury luck in recent weeks. Clarke Schmidt, Anthony Rizzo, Jon Berti, Ian Hamilton and Luis Gil also have been reinstated from the injured list since Sept. 1. The reinforcements made the Yankees more whole than just about any other club in baseball.

It also gave the Yankees a problem that teams would love to confront down the stretch: having six healthy, capable starting pitchers for five spots. The surplus prompted the Yankees to move Cortes to the bullpen for one rotation turn before switching Stroman with him for the next turn.

On Wednesday, that surplus took a hit.

“He’s been throwing the ball well so well and has put together a really good year,” Boone said. “Certainly feel for him right now and just have to pick up the slack there and support him right now.”

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Cristobal: QB Beck cleared for summer workouts

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Cristobal: QB Beck cleared for summer workouts

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — Miami coach Mario Cristobal said Monday that quarterback Carson Beck has been cleared to participate in all team summer activities and is approaching 100 percent following elbow surgery last year.

Cristobal said Beck has been throwing for the past three weeks as part of his rehab regimen. Beck missed all of spring practice and has yet to throw to Miami’s receivers as part of organized team activities. But that is all about to change when Miami begins summer workouts next week.

“He’s good to go,” Cristobal told ESPN at the ACC spring meetings. “He’s exceeding every benchmark.”

Beck underwent surgery on his right elbow to repair his ulnar collateral ligament, which he injured on the final play of the first half in second-ranked Georgia‘s 22-19 overtime win against Texas in the SEC championship game Dec. 7.

Beck started at Georgia for two seasons, going 24-3, and ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. had him rated as the No. 5 quarterback for the 2025 draft. But given his injury and inconsistent performance in 2024, Beck entered the portal in January. He quickly opted for Miami, where he will replace No. 1 NFL draft pick Cam Ward.

Beck threw for 7,426 yards over his two seasons as Georgia’s starter, fifth most among all FBS passers since 2023, with 57 total touchdowns and 23 turnovers.

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Canes LB Hayes out of hospital after tragic crash

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Canes LB Hayes out of hospital after tragic crash

Miami Hurricanes linebacker Adarius Hayes, who was one of the drivers in a two-vehicle crash that left three people dead and at least two others injured, has been released from the hospital, the university said Monday.

The three people who died as a result of the crash were all in a Kia Soul, which collided with a Dodge Durango being driven by Hayes on Saturday afternoon in Largo, Florida, police said.

A 78-year-old woman who was driving the Kia and two of her passengers — 10-year-old Jabari Elijah Solomon and 4-year-old Charlie Herbert Solomon Riveria — died in the crash, police said. Another passenger in the Kia was hospitalized with serious injuries, police said.

No tickets or criminal charges have been filed, though the investigation is continuing.

“We are deeply saddened to learn the crash resulted in three fatalities, as confirmed by Largo Police, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those lost,” the Hurricanes said in a statement.

The school is still working to gather further information.

“There were no signs of impairment with either driver of the vehicles,” Largo Police public information officer Megan Santo said in a statement distributed Sunday.

Hayes, a four-star recruit coming out of Largo High, played in 12 games for the Hurricanes as a freshman in 2024, mostly on special teams. He finished the season with four tackles and one interception, which he returned 25 yards in Miami’s 56-9 victory over Florida A&M on Sept. 7.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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NCAA prez is open to Trump’s idea of commission

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NCAA prez is open to Trump's idea of commission

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — NCAA president Charlie Baker said Monday he was “up for anything” when asked about a President Donald Trump-proposed commission on collegiate athletics.

Reports surfaced last week that Trump was going to create the commission.

While his conversations at ACC meetings with league football coaches, men’s and women’s basketball coaches, athletic directors and other school officials focused on governance and the pending House settlement, Baker was asked during an informal media availability for his thoughts on the presidential commission.

“I think the fact that there’s an interest on the executive side on this, I think it speaks to the fact that everybody is paying a lot of attention right now to what’s going on in college sports,” Baker said.

“I’m up for anything that can help us get somewhere.”

Baker noted the NCAA has already spent time in Washington asking for congressional help that is focused on three big issues. Among the biggest: a patchwork of state laws that relate to how collegiate athletics work in individual states; and whether student-athletes should be considered employees.

“I think [Congress] can help us. I really do,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said during an interview with ACC Network. “We have been very bold in the desire for a national standard when it comes to name, image and likeness. We need to make sure that we have something that comes out of Washington that connects all 50 of the states because we’ve had a piecemeal project and it’s really undermined college sports. It’s been a race to the bottom. So that’s one. Two is we need some legal protection. We cannot sustain one legal case after another legal case after another legal case. A reaffirmation that these are student-athletes. Those three things to me will be very important to see if that can come out of the commission.”

Baker said, “People in our office have talked to folks who are working on this, but I don’t think they’ve decided the framework around who they want to put on.”

When asked whether he felt the creation of a commission would enhance the NCAA’s chances at legislative relief, Baker said, “I don’t have a crystal ball on that one. I don’t know. I do think, though, that it’s quite clear at this point that there are a lot of people interested in college sports, and we do need some help at some point to create some clarity around some of these issues in Washington. Creating clarity one lawsuit at a time is just a really bad way to try to move forward.”

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