The New York Yankees have been facing some issues with their shaky pitching lineup, especially with Nestor Cortes. Their performances have not been up to par lately. Perhaps changing the pitching lineup a bit will help the team get back to a winning momentum. Albeit, the NY side has already solidified their place in the playoffs, their concern is always about their defense. Moreover, the starting pitchers have been inconsistent in 2024. First of all, they missed their ace pitcher, Gerrit Cole, due to a severe right elbow injury for more than a couple of months. Initially, the Yankees had Cole on the 60-day Injured List.
As Cole’s replacement, the NY side gave the rookie Luis Gil a chance to prove his worth as a starter. In fact, the rookie did a great job, as he had the best ERA in the American League for a couple of months. Along with Gil, other starters like Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, and Nestor Cortes seemed to do a decent job in the beginning. Since mid-June, the Bronx Bombers got into a slump and so did the hurlers. Later, the formidable offensive duo of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto brought some momentum back. But the pitching remained a big concern for Aaron Boone’s side.
Yankees Temporarily Shift Nestor Cortes To Their Bullpen
Going down the road, the Bronx Bombers seem to essentially punt the decision to change the rotation. However, they are changing the role of Nestor Cortes in their lineup. There have been several discussions regarding Clarke Schmidt to replace Cortes as the starting lineup for a while. But Schmidt has been on the Injured List for over a couple of months. He is getting ready to return soon, maybe next weekend in the series against the Chicago Cubs. On the other hand, Cortes will lead the bullpen with some talented pitchers in there. It seems like a good idea. Lately, Cortes has been very inconsistent and due to his underperformances, the team had to suffer.
Hence, on Saturday, Clarke Schmidt will likely start against the Cubs this weekend, and Cortes will be the reliever as a piggyback behind the new starter. However, Aaron Boone can use Nestor Cortes in relief behind Luis Gil on Friday. Both Luis Gil and Schmidt are coming off the Injured List and will start for the first time since then. As per the New York Post, on Sunday, Gerrit Cole might start for the series finale at Wrigley Field. Then, against the Kansas City Royals on Monday, Carlos Rodon will be the starting hurler. Later, on Tuesday, Marcus Stroman will play the same role.
Aaron Boone Is Positive About The Change In The Starting Lineup
Next week, the Yankees will play a four-game series against their arch-rivals, the Boston Red Sox, at Yankee Stadium. The series will start on Thursday, and Nestor Cortes can expect to slot back into the lineup. After all, the Bronx Bombers will use a six-man rotation. It will be a one-time thing to decide who will come out of it down the stretch. But for this plan to work out, everybody must stay healthy.
Prior to Tuesday’s game against the Texas Rangers, Aaron Boone said, as per the New York Post, “The change in the starting rotation just lines up the best way.” The manager revealed that Clarke Schmidt was wanting to get built up. Then, the skipper is happy about having a couple of guys integrated back in. They have an off day on Thursday. Moreover, Boone said the idea was not to push back several guys on “Seven days or eight days and it just made a lot of sense.”
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