By james art
New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes throws during the fourth inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on September 12 in New York. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)
New York Yankees’ Nestor Cortez takes a batting practice to teammate Austin Wells on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. (Ron Bloom/AP Photo)
New York – The Yankees didn’t offer Nestor Cortez life-changing money when they used a 36th-round pick on the 2013 Hialeah High School product.
Still, his parents encouraged him to do what he thought was best.
“They said it was my decision, and they respected it,” Cortes said Tuesday. “I feel like it’s kind of the same situation.”
With “it,” Cortes referred to his accelerated throwing program after suffering a flexor strain in his left elbow. The injury placed Cortez on the injured list on September 25.
However, with the World Series set to begin Friday in Los Angeles, Cortez expects to be on the Yankees’ roster.
Although no one had officially told Cortez that at the time he spoke after practice at Yankee Stadium, he had just come off a 28-pitch live practice session. The left-hander faked coming out of the bullpen, faced a hitting lineup that included lefty Austin Wells and Osvaldo Cabrera, liked the look of his pitches and hoped to be aided by a World Series-inspired adrenaline rush the next time he took the mound.
“I thought today went pretty well. I think we’re waiting to see how I wake up tomorrow,” Cortes, usually a starter, said of the final decision. “Hopefully I’ll wake up tomorrow ready to go.”
Cortes said he only felt normal, general soreness after his last throwing sessions. He stopped feeling unusual pain 10 days after he stopped throwing.
He added that the coaches checked on him “every step of the way.”
“We’ve been pretty active in communication and it’s gone as well as I thought it would,” Cortes said.
The 29-year-old has spoken with Yankees trainers, members of the front office, his agents, his parents and his wife about returning so soon. Because a flexor strain can be a precursor to Tommy John surgery, there is risk for Cortez.
Such surgery would force him to miss the 2025 season if it happened after that playoff push. Cortez will be a free agent after next season, putting tens of millions of dollars on the line if something goes wrong.
A serious injury could also make him an unheralded candidate this winter.
“I guess the way I’ve gone about it is I could probably pitch that World Series and be good and then come into spring training and blow up and obviously I didn’t expect it,” Cortez said. “So I guess the World Series is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, hopefully not for this team.
“We weighed the ramifications of this, but if I have a ring and then a year off from baseball, then so be it.”
Early in the recovery process, Brian Cashman rejected Cortez’s desire to play, repeatedly telling him no.
However, there was talk during the ALCS when Ian Hamilton went down with a calf injury. The Yankees had Mark Leiter Jr. trade him instead of rushing Cortez through the already accelerated process.
“Nestor would certainly like to be (an option for Hamilton), but we’re going to miss too much return-to-play protocol to get him back there and safely deploy him,” Cashman said during the ALCS. “That’s not to say he might not be available for the next round if we’re lucky enough to get there, but there are a few more hurdles he has to climb to put him in a safe zone.” We talk about his career. We’ll make sure he’s right.
As Cortes now expects his wish to come true — Aaron Boone said there’s “a good chance” he’ll make the roster Monday — he believes he can make an impact in the Yankees’ championship chase.
The Dodgers boast several great left-handed hitters, including Shohei Ohtani, Max Muncie and the hard-hitting Freddie Freeman. Cortez, who has combat experience, can be a neutralizing weapon if all goes well.
“I don’t want to be here just because I want to play in the World Series,” Cortez said. “I want to be here because I’m going to help this team potentially win a World Series. If I’m healthy and ready to go, which I think I am, I’ll be able to contribute to this team.”
Cortes noted that Ohtani will be “particularly difficult.” He plans to keep the MVP candidate off balance by using some of his signature tricks, different arm slots and his changeup, which he usually avoids against left-handed hitters.
“I’m going to have to take the kitchen sink out on it,” Cortes said. “Not just him, but all the other lefties they have in that lineup.”
Cortez’s usage will certainly be watched if he makes the World Series.
This time of year, relievers rarely get predetermined days off. Cortez didn’t see himself as an exception, but the Yankees will want to be careful with him.
“There’s going to be a time in either Game 1 or Game 2 when there’s going to be a left lane for me and I’m going to have to be there,” Cortez said. “And then if I throw four to eight pitches, I might be ready to go the next day. So we’ll just see how it goes.”