The New York Yankees have been having a tough go of it lately. Things got worse on Thursday as news surfaced that the Yankees placed starting pitcher Nestor Cortes on the 15-day injured list with a groin injury. Right-handed reliever Greg Weissert will be called up from Triple-A to join the team in Oakland for their weekend series.

Cortes was having a breakout season for the Yankees. He is 9-4 with a stellar 2.68 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 133 strikeouts in 131 innings. The Yankees lefty spent the first three seasons of his career coming out of the bullpen for the Orioles, Yankees and Mariners before rejoining New York last season. He showed some promise and Aaron Boone shifted him to the starting rotation full-time. That decision had paid off handsomely.

Nestor Cortes is the next pitcher in the long line of injuries New York has sustained this year. Luis Severino was having a solid bounce-back year until he landed on the 60-day injured list earlier this season.

Clay Holmes, the Yankees closer who was so good he stole the job from Aroldis Chapman, is currently on the injured list as well. Slugger Giancarlo Stanton has missed the last month of action due to an Achilles injury. New York however finally got some good news as Stanton is expected to be activated Thursday. Matt Carpenter, Domingo German and Zach Britton are other Yankees who have dealt with injuries this year.

New York was on a near historic pace through the first half of the season. But things have not been so kind in the second half, as the Astros have passed them for home field advantage.