Drew Storen could return to the Nationals on Thursday - MLB

Nationals reliever Drew Storen hasn’t appeared in a major league game this season due to problems with his throwing elbow. But that’s about ready to change.

According to CSN Washington’s Mark Zuckerman, the 24-year-old right-hander made a dominant one-inning rehab appearance Tuesday night at Class A Potomac and could be cleared to return to the Nationals’ bullpen as early as Thursday afternoon.

“I feel confident out there and I feel comfortable,” Storen told Zuckerman. “I think that’s the main thing. That’s what you try to get in spring training. I treated these rehab appearances like they were spring training, and I’m really happy with where I’m at.”

Storen posted a 2.75 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 74/20 K/BB ratio across 75 1/3 innings last season for the Nationals, converting 43 saves in 48 opportunities. He owns a 3.10 career ERA and 8.68 career K/9.

Tyler Clippard has been acting as the Nats’ closer for the past several weeks and will remain in that role.

The Yankees placed Nestor Cortes on the 15-day injured list with a left rotator cuff strain that will sideline the left-hander for at least two starts.

The move is retroactive to Monday and Cortes will be shut down for at least 15 days.

After Tuesday’s game, Cortes said the shoulder has been bothering him between starts and more so after he pitched five innings May 30 in Seattle.

“I took two days off and when I got to LA and threw that first day, I didn’t feel right,” Cortes said Tuesday. “But it was first day coming back from pitching so I knew it was going to be nagging a little bit. So I waited a little bit.

“That second day in LA was when I said something because it felt like I had pitched yesterday. So I wasn’t recovering in time.”

Cortes is 5-2 with a 5.16 ERA in 11 starts and has particularly struggled later in outings. Opponents are hitting .447 when facing him for the third time in a game.

Last year, Cortes was an All-Star and went 12-4 with a 2.44 ERA in 28 starts.

Randy Vásquez was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre to take Cortes’ spot in the rotation and will make his second career start in Thursday’s doubleheader. Vásquez made his major league debut May 26 against San Diego when the Yankees needed a starter because Domingo Germán was serving a 10-game suspension for using sticky substances.