New York Yankees left-handed pitcher Nestor Cortes was not happy about the team's decision to move him to the bullpen.
With Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt both returning to the starting rotation this weekend, going with a six-man rotation may be in the cards toward the end of the month.
For now, though, Cortes was the one who was moved from the rotation to the bullpen likely due to his struggles on the road this season.
The former All-Star expressed his disappointment in the decision following his first bullpen outing in Saturday afternoon's 2-0 win over the Chicago Cubs.
“Obviously, I was upset. I feel like amongst all the starters, I’ve been the workhorse here,” Cortes said. “Once [Gerrit] Cole went down, they picked me to be the Opening Day starter; not necessarily the No. 1, but the Opening Day starter. I had to switch my routine there, and now they do this."
Cortes may not have been happy about the move, but it certainly adds an extra level of competence to a struggling unit overall. On Saturday, Cortes relieved Schmidt, going 4.1 innings pitched allowing no hits, no runs and one walk while striking out three.
Schmidt was solid in his first start back from the injury, tossing 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out two.
Both Gil and Schmidt have been better starters than Cortes when healthy this season. Gil is very much in the conversation for the Rookie of the Year award while Schmidt was in the middle of a breakout season before hitting the injured list at the end of May.
Entering Saturday, Cortes had a 5.09 ERA in 14 road starts, allowing a .278 opposing average and .824 OPS across 74.1 innings.
While Cortes wasn't happy about the move, he also accepted the reality of the situation.
"I’m never going to back down from a challenge, I’m never going to leave my teammates out to dry. You’re always going to get my best effort, no matter if I’m happy or not. That’s what I did today. I just came out there and proved that I can be put in any situation, and from here on out, if that’s what’s my role, then I’ll accept it.”
The Yankees will need all the help they can get in the bullpen when the playoffs arrive, especially considering the unit's struggles since the middle of June.
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