Nestor Cortes's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes (elbow) was able to play catch on Sunday. It was Cortes' first time throwing since landing on the IL on September 22 due to a left elbow flexor strain. The Yankees are going to wait and see how Cortes' elbow responds on Monday, and then plan the next steps in his recovery. If all goes well, Cortes could return in the ALCS should the Yankees make it there. Whether he is used as a starter or reliever is another question, as he might not have the time to build up to a starter's workload.

The New York Yankees placed left-hander Nestor Cortes (elbow) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Sept. 22) on Wednesday with a left-elbow flexor strain and recalled right-hander Cody Poteet from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a corresponding move. Cortes was scratched from his scheduled outing on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium against the division-rival Baltimore Orioles and will now be replaced by right-hander Marcus Stroman, who recently moved to a relief role. The 29-year-old southpaw had been masterful on the mound for the Yankees of late, so this is a pretty big blow to their pitching staff with the playoffs beginning next week. Cortes will be eligible to return on Oct. 7, which makes him an unlikely candidate to join the team for the first series of the postseason in October. And when Cortes does return, he may be headed back to the bullpen.UPDATE: "I don't know if it's optimistic," manager Aaron Boone said of potentially getting Cortes back for the playoffs. Cortes hopes his rest/rehab will allow him to return if the Yankees make a deep postseason run. For now, he's shut down for seven to 10 days and will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection. He'll get two opinions on his injured elbow.

New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes (elbow), who was scheduled to start Wednesday's contest at Yankee Stadium against the division-rival Baltimore Orioles, is getting an MRI exam on his left elbow. Cortes has been dynamic lately for the Yanks, allowing just one earned run in his last 15 1/3 innings, and would be a valuable weapon for the team in the postseason as either a starter or reliever if he's healthy. It now seems unlikely that Cortes will be able to make his start on Wednesday, but we'll await further confirmation on that. If the 29-year-old southpaw is scratched, right-hander Marcus Stroman, who recently made the move to a relief role, would be the logical candidate to take the ball for the Yankees on Wednesday. Cortes' 22.8% strikeout rate leaves a lot to be desired in fantasy, but he's been solid in 2024, posting a 3.77 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 162 K's and 39 walks in 174 1/3 innings.

New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes will make the start on Thursday in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium for the series opener against the division-rival Boston Red Sox. Cortes' last appearance came as a piggyback to starter Clarke Schmidt last Saturday against the Chicago Cubs, when he went 4 1/3 shutout innings to pick up his ninth win while walking one and striking out three. His last start came on Sept. 1 against the St. Louis Cardinals, when he allowed five earned runs and nine hits in four innings. Outside of that outing, though, Cortes has a 1.86 ERA with 23 K's and only four walks in his last five outings (four starts) covering 29 innings. In his two starts against Boston this year, Cortes has allowed five earned runs on 12 hits while walking three and striking out 13 in 10 2/3 innings. The 29-year-old southpaw has pitched much better of late, but Boston ranks sixth in team OPS (.754) in 2024.

New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes will serve in a piggyback relief role in his next appearance, either on Friday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field after right-hander Luis Gil (back), or after right-hander Clarke Schmidt (lat) on Saturday. After that, Cortes will go back into the starting rotation next week to face the division-rival Boston Red Sox. With both Gil and Schmidt returning to the big-league rotation this weekend, it appears the Yankees will move to a six-man starting rotation down the stretch. The 29-year-old Cortes could probably use a little break after surrendering five earned runs on nine hits (one homer) while walking one and fanning just two on Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals in a no-decision. Since the All-Star break, the southpaw has an ERA over 5.00 with 34 K's and 10 walks in 43 2/3 frames over eight starts.