The Yankees are two wins away from a World Series appearance, and they might have some pitching reinforcements on the way if they do advance.
Manager Aaron Boone said on Wednesday that Nestor Cortes is throwing to live hitters this afternoon, and if all goes well, the lefty will likely throw again this weekend, which would put him in pretty good shape to be on the World Series roster.
“He’ll probably have another live this weekend. So he could potentially have two or three lives,” Boone said. “If we were to get through this series, it would potentially set him up to have a good body of work under him to potentially be an option if we’re able to get to those series.”
Cortes told reporters on Tuesday night that he would be throwing something of a hybrid bullpen session, throwing 10-15 pitches in the bullpen and 10-15 to live hitters.
Earlier this week, Boone said that there was a “little bit” of consideration to have Cortes, who has been dealing with a flexor strain in his left elbow, on the LCS roster, but the team wanted to give him more time to build up.
If the Yankees do advance to the Fall Classic and Cortes is healthy enough to pitch, it’s likely that he’d be used as a long reliever out of the bullpen, with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt, and Luis Gil holding down the starting spots.
In 31 games (30 starts) during the regular season, Cortes pitched to a 3.77 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.
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