With starting pitcher Nestor Cortes’ return looming, the Yankees could potentially carry 13 pitchers during the 2024 World Series, manager Aaron Boone said on Tuesday.
“Could be 13,” Boone said. “We’ll see.”
New York carried 12 pitchers and 14 position players during their five-game ALCS triumph over the Cleveland Guardians, but Cortes is nearing his reintroduction back into the roster.
The southpaw has been out since Sept. 18 because of a flexor strain in his pitching elbow. He was scheduled to throw batting practice on Tuesday. Boone and the Yankees will have to see how he bounces back in the coming days — they have the luxury of doing so considering World Series rosters do not have to be submitted to league until roughly seven hours before the first pitch of Game 1 on Friday night in Los Angeles.
Cortes had battled inconsistencies for most of the 2024 season, possessing a 4.42 ERA in his first 24 starts. He finally found a groove in mid-August, going 4-0 with a 1.58 ERA while opposing batters mustered a paltry .547 OPS against him in his final seven appearances before suffering that flexor strain.
Initial prognostications suggest that Cortes will not be used as a starter in the Fall Classic; rather he would be used as a multi-inning reliever who could see some high-leverage situations.
Considering he is a left-hander, he would be a prime candidate to come in and extinguish Dodger threats with their heart of the order due up. Both Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman are both lefties.
While Boone has only announced Gerrit Cole as the Game 1 starter, he is expected to deploy Carlos Rodon for Game 2, Clarke Schmidt for Game 3, and potentially Luis Gil for Game 4.
