The New York Yankees traded this pitcher to address their closer situation during the offseason, and in hindsight, it may have been a blessing in disguise.
Nestor Cortes, who was sent to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for closer Devin Williams, has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a flexor strain in his throwing elbow, the team announced. In response, Milwaukee has called up Grant Wolfram from Triple-A to fill his spot on the roster.
Yankees fans are all too familiar with both the pitcher and the injury. Nestor Cortes landed on New York’s injured list last September with a similar elbow issue. He did manage to return in time for the postseason and even pitched in the World Series, where he surrendered a walk-off grand slam to Dodgers star Freddie Freeman in Game 1.
Now with Milwaukee, the left-hander has made just two starts, going 1-1 with a rough 9.00 ERA. In eight innings, he recorded eight strikeouts but also issued seven walks. He led all of MLB with five home runs allowed at the time he was placed on the IL.
All five of those homers came in a tough outing on March 29, when he returned to Yankee Stadium as Milwaukee’s starter. The Yankees tagged him during a 20-9 blowout win, setting a franchise record with nine home runs and unveiling their new torpedo bats.
According to Brewers dugout reporter Sophia Minnaert, Nestor Cortes underwent an MRI prior to his second start on Thursday but felt good enough to take the mound. He’s now seeking a second opinion and remains hopeful the injury won’t keep him out long-term.
Cortes becomes the latest addition to an increasingly crowded injured list for the Brewers, joining Tobias Myers, Aaron Civale, Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, Brandon Woodruff, and Robert Gasser.
The left-hander was traded to Milwaukee on December 13, along with second baseman Caleb Durbin, as the Yankees sought to solidify their closer role with Devin Williams.
Cortes, 30, spent five of his first seven Major League seasons with New York after being selected by the Yankees in the 36th round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of Hialeah, Florida.
Cortes made his MLB debut with the Baltimore Orioles in 2018 after being selected in the Rule 5 Draft. He appeared in just four games before being designated for assignment, eventually returning to the Yankees.
New York held on to him through the rest of the 2018 season before trading him to the Seattle Mariners ahead of the 2019 campaign in exchange for international bonus pool money. The Yankees later brought him back on a minor league deal prior to the 2020 season.
Cortes’ breakout year came in 2022 with the Yankees, when he posted a stellar 12-4 record and a 2.44 ERA over 28 starts. That performance earned him his first All-Star selection and an eighth-place finish in American League Cy Young Award voting.
