The Yankees’ 26-man roster for the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers was announced Friday ahead of Game 1, and there is one notable change.
Left-handed Nestor Corteswho hasn’t pitched since September 18 against the Seattle Mariners due to a left elbow strain, was added to the roster for the Fall Classic after missing the first two rounds of the postseason.
To make room for Cortes, utility man Jon Bertiwho saw play at first base as Anthony Rizzo worked his way back from injury and remained out of the selection.
The decision to add the lefty pitcher is not a surprise after he threw 28 pitches in a simulated game at Yankee Stadium earlier this week and then said he expects to be on the World Series roster.
Cortes was a key part of New York’s starting rotation, going 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA (1.15 WHIP) in 174.1 innings across 31 games (30 starts). How the Yanks will use him against the Dodgers remains to be seen, but it likely won’t be as a default starter.
Gerrit Kool, Carlos Rodon And Clarke Schmidt were announced as New York’s starters for Games 1, 2 and 3 and the team did just that Luis Gil on the roster that got the start in Game 3 of the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians.
But with Los Angeles’ left-dominant lineup, having Cortes coming out of the bullpen could be a big weapon for the Yanks, who also have LHPs Tim Hill And Tim Mayza in the bullpen. Both have performed well this postseason.
