Yankees' Nestor Cortes: Starting Opening Day

Manager Aaron Boone on Friday named Cortes the Yankees' starter for Opening Day against the Astros on March 28, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

The Yankees had to alter their pitching plans with Gerrit Cole (elbow) set to begin the season on the injured list, and Cortes will end up taking the ball for the opener. The veteran lefty was limited to 12 starts last season due to a shoulder strain and had a 4.97 ERA across 63.1 innings, but New York would benefit if he can return to the form that saw him post a 2.61 ERA between 2021 and 2022.