The Yankees came into this season expecting not to have to rely as much on Nestor Cortes as they had to during his All-Star 2022. It wasn’t a knock on the southpaw by any means, in fact; his breakout was one of the factors which led to tremendous promise for this starting staff. However, after drastically surpassing his career high in the majors in innings pitched, it was nice to have a bit of insurance not to push Cortes to a breaking point.
Now, entering the final couple of months of the season, with so much that hasn’t gone the Yankees' way, Cortes has returned from injury to a staff that needs him more than ever.