Cortes battles tough Braves lineup in his final spring tune-up

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- When manager Aaron Boone announced that Nestor Cortes would be the Opening Day starter for the Yankees when they open their 2024 campaign against the Astros, the decision was marred by the news that Gerrit Cole would miss an extended amount of time at the beginning of the season.

Now, after the shock of that news has dissipated, Boone reiterated his confidence in Cortes on Thursday ahead of his final tune-up appearance of Spring Training against the Braves.

“He’s really looked really good to me,” Boone said. “I think it goes back to getting back to the end of the season where he was throwing, and we kept rolling him into the offseason to the point where he got on the mound in his throwing progression. … Everything’s gone really well.

“That was evident when I got down here, getting to see him -- his stuff just looked like Nestor’s.”

In his final start of the spring, Cortes tossed four-plus innings, striking out three hitters while allowing three runs on six hits (one home run) and two walks. Squaring off against what will likely be the Braves’ starting lineup when the season begins, the lefty attempted to navigate the mechanisms of last year’s historic offense with varied success in the Yankees’ 5-2 defeat.

Cortes allowed just two baserunners through the first three frames, retiring seven consecutive batters at one point. He ran into trouble in the fourth inning, after the leadoff walk came around to score following back-to-back singles, before exiting in the fifth without recording an out.

But it’s just Spring Training, where stats matter a bit less than the process behind gearing up for the regular season. And despite the tough ending to his camp in the box score (0-2, 7.71 ERA in four starts), Cortes feels confident about where he stands heading into Opening Day -- especially after notching strikeouts against the likes of Matt Olson (twice) and Ronald Acuña Jr.

“Coming in here, knowing I was going to face their ‘A’ lineup, it was kind of like a tune-up for Houston,” Cortes said. “I don’t think Houston is any different from them, in terms of firepower. So it was pretty good coming in here and facing those guys.

“Every outing I’ve come into this spring has felt super normal for me, as to what it was pre-2023. … Today was my first time going [into the fifth inning] in spring. Next time, hopefully [I throw] five or six again and keep building off that.”

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From the outset, Cortes felt comfortable with the ability to command the entirety of his arsenal, putting a greater focus on precision and throwing to specific areas of the strike zone. In the grand scheme of things, both he and his manager believed it was a successful outing heading into Opening Day.

“I thought he was really good where he needed to be, at the top of the zone, or just above,” Boone said. “I thought the cutter was good today, the way he moved it around. Probably got a little tired at the end there, maybe? … I thought it was good, thought he was pretty sharp.”

Pitching battles not settled just yet
Prior to Thursday’s game against the Braves, Boone was asked about the status of the competitions for the final spots in the bullpen, a battle that has to consider what happens in the rotation.

“A lot of that depends on who we do end up choosing for that [fifth rotation] slot,” Boone said. “The rules to start the season, different guys’ situations, contractually and [Minor League] options, all those things kind of factor into the puzzle a little bit. With Tommy Kahnle likely back very early in the season, you got to factor that in. … It’s not as simple as ‘here’s our [guys].’

“A little more thought goes into it, obviously. But we’re getting close, I mean we’ve certainly got it narrowed down to a handful of guys.”

Boone said right-hander Luis Gil is slated to start Friday’s Grapefruit League action against the Mets, with right-hander Will Warren also scheduled for innings of work. Both are considered options for the final rotation spot, with Gil potentially slotting into a multi-innings role in the bullpen as well, with less than a week of camp left.