New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes worked out of the bullpen during his team's Saturday 2-0 win over the Chicago Cubs, and he was not pleased by the change in role.
The 29-year-old Cortes, after making 28 starts for the Yankees this season, on Saturday made his first relief appearance since 2021. The shift to bullpen detail is a reflection of the Yankees' newly crowded rotation. Clarke Schmidt's recent activation from the 60-day injured list gave the Yankees six healthy starters – Cortes, Schmidt, ace Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Marcus Stroman, and rookie standout Luis Gil. That, in turn, meant at least one relief appearance for Cortes – 4 1/3 scoreless against Chicago in just 48 pitches.
Of the return to the bullpen, Cortes told reporters:
"Obviously I was upset. I felt like I've been, amongst all the starters, the workhorse here. Once Cole went down, they picked me to be the Opening Day starter -- not necessarily the No. 1, but the Opening Day starter. I had to switch my routine there.
"Now they do this."
Cortes is presently slated to start against the Boston Red Sox on Sept. 13, but there's not presently much certainty when it comes to his role moving forward. "I know they told me that I'm starting against Boston," Cortes went on to say, "but after that, with a six-man rotation and off days in between, guys are going to get extra days and I don't think that's necessarily the right move, so we'll see."
As much as the change in role, it's the loss of a predictable routine that's likely also troubling Cortes – or any other starting pitcher who gets bumped to the pen. While Cortes' unhappiness is apparent, such depth is viewed as a luxury from the club standpoint. All that said, Cortes also pledged to do his best in whatever role is ahead for him.
"I'm never going to back down from a challenge. I'm never going to leave my teammates out to dry. You're always going to get my best effort, no matter if I'm happy or not," he said Saturday.
"That's what I did today. I came out there and proved I can be put in any situation. From here on out, if that's my role, then I'll accept it."
This season, Cortes in those 28 starts has put up an ERA of 4.08 with a K/BB ratio of 4.50. For comparison, the average MLB starting pitcher this season has put up an ERA of 4.18 with a K/BB ratio of 2.88.
However Cortes is deployed the rest of the season, he'll be important to the Yankees' hopes of claiming the American League East title. Entering Sunday's slate, the Yankees are 82-60 and hold a slim half-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the division.