15-Day IL
Injury Elbow
Est. Return 10/14/2024
2024 Stats
W-L
9-10
ERA
3.77
WHIP
1.15
K
162
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
The crafty lefty cemented his spot in the Yankees' starting rotation in 2022 with a 2.44 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 163:38 K:BB across 158.1 innings, but he made just 12 starts in 2023 due to a rotator cuff strain. Cortes also struggled when available last season and finished with a 4.97 ERA over 63.1 innings to go along with a 1.6 HR/9 and a career-worst 40.1 percent hard-hit rate. A 3.71 xERA indicates some unfortunate results, while a 4.84 xFIP paints a less favorable underlying picture. Cortes' reliance on different arm angles and deliveries leaves less margin for error on his pitches, especially since his stuff doesn't really stand out. It also makes him more difficult to evaluate, as the numbers themselves tell less of a story than with most pitchers. A positive regression seems likely in 2024, but Cortes' lack of year-to-year track record leaves some risk coming off a poor campaign. Read Past Outlooks
Hoping for return late in playoffs
Cortes (elbow) said Wednesday that he's hopeful to return from the 15-day injured list at some point late in the postseason if the Yankees make a deep run, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Cortes had been scheduled to start Wednesday against the Orioles, but he was scratched from the outing due to an elbow issue and was sent in for an MRI. He was diagnosed with a left elbow flexor strain and subsequently placed on the IL, making him ineligible to rejoin the Yankees until at least the ALCS. Cortes noted that he will be shut down for the next 7-to-10 days after getting a platelet-rich plasma injection for his elbow while also seeking at least two other doctors for further opinions on a treatment plan. On a positive note, Cortes told Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com that his UCL remains intact, so the lefty appears likely to avoid surgery and will aim to make a full recovery through rest and rehab.
Cortes had been scheduled to start Wednesday against the Orioles, but he was scratched from the outing due to an elbow issue and was sent in for an MRI. He was diagnosed with a left elbow flexor strain and subsequently placed on the IL, making him ineligible to rejoin the Yankees until at least the ALCS. Cortes noted that he will be shut down for the next 7-to-10 days after getting a platelet-rich plasma injection for his elbow while also seeking at least two other doctors for further opinions on a treatment plan. On a positive note, Cortes told Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com that his UCL remains intact, so the lefty appears likely to avoid surgery and will aim to make a full recovery through rest and rehab.
Pitching Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
92
Last 10 Games
89
Last 5 Games
82
How many pitches does Nestor Cortes generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Nestor Cortes generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-28%
BAA vs LHP
2024
-20%
BAA vs LHP
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2022vs Left | .169 | 89 | 18 | 45 | 5 | |||
| Since 2022vs Right | .235 | 303 | 79 | 284 | 46 | |||
| 2024vs Left | .204 | 42 | 9 | 29 | 2 | |||
| 2024vs Right | .256 | 120 | 30 | 133 | 22 | |||
| 2023vs Left | .163 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 2 | |||
| 2023vs Right | .261 | 53 | 18 | 52 | 9 | |||
| 2022vs Left | .110 | 33 | 7 | 9 | 1 | |||
| 2022vs Right | .202 | 130 | 31 | 99 | 15 | |||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | |||||||
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-29%
ERA at Home
2024
-30%
ERA at Home
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2022Home | 2.89 | 0.96 | 214.2 | 8.8 | 1.9 | ||||
| Since 2022Away | 4.07 | 1.21 | 181.1 | 9.1 | 2.5 | ||||
| 2024Home | 3.11 | 1.00 | 89.2 | 8.3 | 1.4 | ||||
| 2024Away | 4.46 | 1.31 | 84.2 | 8.4 | 2.7 | ||||
| 2023Home | 4.58 | 1.18 | 37.1 | 8.9 | 2.2 | ||||
| 2023Away | 5.54 | 1.35 | 26.0 | 10.4 | 3.8 | ||||
| 2022Home | 1.95 | 0.82 | 87.2 | 9.1 | 2.4 | ||||
| 2022Away | 3.06 | 1.05 | 70.2 | 9.4 | 1.9 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Stat Review
How does Nestor Cortes compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
4.15K/9
8.4BB/9
2.0HR/9
1.2Fastball
92.1 mphERA
3.77WHIP
1.15BABIP
.295GB/FB
0.69Left On Base
75.9%Exit Velocity
82.3 mphBarrels/BBE
4.9%Spin Rate
2293 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
25.3%Swinging Strike
11.4%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
If you go back and look at Cortes's 2022 outlook, you can see he teased at what was possible, but without a large body of work, everyone was right to be skeptical of what Cortes would be as a starter. Those who took the chance in the late rounds were greatly rewarded by one of the best late round steals in 2022 as the lefty picked up where he left off in 2021 for most of the 2022 season. Cortes uses varying arm angles, deliveries, and pitches to frustrate hitters all season. 75% of what he threw were four-seamer and cutters, and those two pitches were paired so well that the league hit below .200 against both pitches while all five of his offerings had whiff rates above 20%. In 330 innings of work, he has a career 80% LOB rate and a .266 BABIP, so his 2022 numbers ( 79%, .243) are not terribly out of line and a continuation of what he did in 2021. The stuff is not paritcularly special, but his ability to spin and sequence it is certainly special and being a lefty in Yankee Stadium doesn't hurt either. The big question is if he can put up consecutive seasons of workload as he has never done so.
More Fantasy News
Lands on IL with flexor strain
The Yankees placed Cortes on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a left elbow flexor strain.
ANALYSIS
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Undergoing MRI on elbow
Cortes will undergo an MRI on his left elbow Wednesday, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.
ANALYSIS
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Hurls six shutout frames
Cortes did not factor into the decision in an extra-inning win over the Mariners on Wednesday, allowing four hits and three walks over six scoreless innings while striking out six.
ANALYSIS
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Nine strikeouts in no-decision
Cortes came away with the no-decision in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Red Sox. He pitched five innings and allowed one run on three hits and three walks with nine strikeouts.
ANALYSIS
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Back in rotation Thursday
Cortes is slated to start Thursday's game against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Being dangled in trade talks
Cortes' name is "definitely out there" in trade talks, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
ANALYSIS
Cortes was mentioned previously as a potential target for the Cardinals in a deal that would send Tommy Edman to the Yankees. While Heyman wasn't able to confirm that connection, it does appear the Yankees are willing to trade the left-hander. Cortes has faltered of late in allowing 15 runs over his last three starts, but he's had a solid 2024 season on the whole in posting a 4.13 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 116:26 K:BB in 124.1 innings covering 22 starts. The 29-year-old is making $3.95 million this season and has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining.
Cortes was mentioned previously as a potential target for the Cardinals in a deal that would send Tommy Edman to the Yankees. While Heyman wasn't able to confirm that connection, it does appear the Yankees are willing to trade the left-hander. Cortes has faltered of late in allowing 15 runs over his last three starts, but he's had a solid 2024 season on the whole in posting a 4.13 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 116:26 K:BB in 124.1 innings covering 22 starts. The 29-year-old is making $3.95 million this season and has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining.