Nestor Cortes knows the risks he is taking by trying to pitch in the World Series, just a month after being diagnosed with a left elbow flexor strain.
But the Yankees left-hander also knows how important he could be out of the bullpen against the lefty lane at the top of a Dodgers lineup that includes Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy.
So after sitting down and discussing it all with the Yankees, his agents and his family — with the 29-year-old one year away from free agency — Cortes is ready to take a shot.
“We have weighed in the consequences that this can lead up to, but if I have a ring and then a year off of baseball, so be it,” Cortes said with a chuckle on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.
Of course, Cortes still has to wake up Wednesday morning feeling good after throwing 28 pitches in a simulated game Tuesday afternoon.
That will be the final hurdle before the Yankees can feel comfortable adding him to their roster for the World Series that begins Friday at Dodger Stadium.
But as far Cortes is concerned, he believes he will be ready to go.
“I guess the way I’ve gone about it is I could probably pitch this World Series and be good and then come into spring training and blow out and not expect it,” Cortes said. “So the World Series is a once-in-a-lifetime thing — hopefully not for this team, but given the circumstances, knowing how important this is and not only wanting to pitch but I feel like there is a need in my left hand and facing those left-handed batters over there, it’s going to be important for me to be healthy and be effective.
“I don’t want to just be here because I want to play in the World Series. I want to be here because I am gonna help this team potentially win a World Series. If I’m healthy and ready to go — which I think I am — I think I’ll be able to contribute to this team.”
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Cortes was diagnosed with the flexor strain — which can sometimes be a precursor to Tommy John surgery — on Sept. 25, at which point he was shut down for about 10 days.
Since then, the Yankees have built him up carefully, with Cortes wanting to pitch in the first two rounds of the playoffs but saying that general manager Brian Cashman was an adamant “no.”
When the injured Ian Hamilton needed to be replaced before Game 4 of the ALCS last week, the Yankees briefly considered adding Cortes to the roster, but both Cashman and Aaron Boone said they needed to keep Cortes’ career in mind when making the decision.
Assuming Cortes does make the roster, the Yankees will still need to determine how often he can pitch in relief, with the expectation that he may be able to offer one to two innings at a time.
“I think he’s smart right now,” pitching coach Matt Blake said Tuesday. “I think it a little bit spooked him that he did hurt his arm. Just being smart about where he’s at contract-wise, things like that — but he wants to win with this team. So it’s being smart as a group and not putting someone overly at risk.”
The Yankees had lefties Tim Hill and Tim Mayza in their bullpen for the ALDS and ALCS — with Hill being especially valuable, pitching in all five games against the Guardians — but adding Cortes to that mix would be important given the left-handed Dodgers sluggers.
Ohtani is 2-for-12 lifetime against Cortes, Freeman is 1-for-3 and Muncy is 0-for-1. Mookie Betts bats right-handed but is 0-for-5 in his career against Cortes, though righty Teoscar Hernandez has had more success, going 6-for-15 with a home run.
“Just given that he can get lefties and righties out, he’s not scared, he’s got some swing and miss to him, it’s a nice addition to the other lefties that we have,” Blake said.
Cortes has mixed in some funky looks when facing Ohtani in the past — including hesitating during his delivery — and indicated he would do so again if and when they meet in the World Series.
“I’m going to have to bring out the kitchen sink on him,” Cortes said, “and not only him but all the other lefties they have in that lineup.”