Nestor Cortes, New York Yankees Cuban pitcher, is on a path of speedy recovery and hopeful of being fit for the 2023 MLB season opening day.
The New York Yankees’ painful tale of injuries is never-ending. Just like last year, the injuries have started to creep in this season as well, in fact, even before the regular season begins. Firstly, Frankie Montas regained his shoulder injury and had to undergo surgery. Further, Ben Rortvedt, too, went under the knife due to blood circulation issues in his right shoulder.
The list does not end here. Yankees attacking pitcher Nestor Cortes pulled up his hamstring while jogging in his neighborhood. Furthermore, the pitcher had to pull out of the World Baseball Classic 2023, wherein he was supposed to represent team USA. However, Nestor is on a path to recovery, and the latest visuals from the Yankees’ spring training look promising.
Nestor Cortes Take Part In Spring Training, Confident To Feature In Opening Day Roster
The New York Yankees signed a left-handed pitcher originating from Cuba, Nestor Cortes, in a minor league deal. Further, after an impressive run in a minor league, Cortes received a promotion to the majors in 2021 and quickly rose to fame. Owing to his success in 2022, the pitcher was drafted into team USA for WBC 2023. However, a hamstring injury ruled him out. Later, Cortes focused on recovery to regain fitness in time for the 2023 MLB season opening day.
In recent spring training sessions of the Yankees, Aaron Boone scheduled a special session for Nestor Cortes. He was asked to face three hitters initially. Corte took down Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, and Aaron Hicks cautiously. Furthermore, seeing his progress, Boone added Josh Donaldson and Anthony Rizzo to the mix. The pitcher found his grove as he strikeout both Josh and Rizzo with nasty throws. Later in an interview, Cortes said leg injury is something that will take its own time to heal. Moreover, he is taking things slowly at the moment in the hope of recovering for the opening day.
Nestor Recalls His Special Moment Of 2022 Season
The 2022 MLB season was special to Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes in many ways. He registered exceptional figures and even got a chance to represent his home country in the World Baseball Classic tournament. However, the dream did not come true as Cortes picked up an injury. Nonetheless, Nestor picked up a special moment from last season which he considers the most treasured moment of his entire baseball career.
Nestor Cortes said playing in the All-Star game will always be a standout moment of 2022 for him. The pitcher added as a kid, he would always watch the All-Star game on TV hoping to feature in one in the future. He said his childhood dream came true, and being able to represent his family and his Cuban origin is a matter of utmost pride for Nestor. Cortes is just 28 years old and displayed exceptional performance at the highest level. While this injury may be a setback, the Cuban has a long way to go.
