New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes will not pitch for USA in the World Baseball Classic next month because of a recent hamstring injury, according to The Athletic. Kyle Freeland of the Rockies is set to replace Cortes on Team USA.
Cortes was named to USA's roster last week and recently unveiled a custom glove for the tournament:
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/43tbMHc1ed
— Nestor Cortes (@Cortes_1210) January 28, 2023
The nature and severity of Cortes' hamstring injury is unknown. Yankees pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to spring training this coming Thursday. New York will already be without Frankie Montas to begin the regular season. He's dealing with a shoulder issue that has bothered him since the middle of last season.
Cortes, 28, threw 158 1/3 innings with a 2.44 ERA last season, which earned him a trip to the All-Star Game. His breakout started in 2021, when he returned to the Yankees on a minor-league contract and tweaked his arsenal at Triple-A, specifically adding a cutter and getting more break on his slider. Cortes has a 2.61 ERA in 251 1/3 innings the last two years.
New York's rotation is fronted by high-prices aces Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón, with Cortes and Luis Severino slotted in behind them. Domingo Germán is the most likely candidate to fill in as the No. 5 starter while Montas is sidelined. Should Cortes miss time during the regular season, righty Clarke Schmidt could assume his rotation spot.
Even without Cortes, USA has a strong starting rotation led by Clayton Kershaw, Lance Lynn, Miles Mikolas, and Adam Wainwright. Brady Singer and Merrill Kelly are other starting options. Kyle Freeland was added to the roster to replace Cortes.
USA is in Pool C of the WBC and begins play March 11 in Phoenix. USA won the last WBC in 2017.
