New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone clarifies his stance on the displeasure of pitcher Nestor Cortes, who expressed his annoyance at being relegated to the bullpen. Cortes, 29, made his first regular-season relief appearance since 2021 last Saturday.
“Obviously, I was upset,” Cortes said, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “I feel like, amongst all the starters, I’ve been the workhorse here. 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.”
Statements from a disgruntled player often generate some tension, especially with team officials. However, Yankees manager Aaron Boone didn’t seem too affected by Cortes’ words and was quite clear on the matter.
“I don’t need everyone to be happy with everything,” Boone said, according to The New York Post. “I want them wanting and expecting the best. It comes at a time when you gotta make difficult decisions, and then it’s on all of us, on the players, to go out there, do your job, and be a pro. That’s what we saw with Nestor [Saturday].”
Pitcher Nestor Cortes #65 of the New York Yankees looks on during the fourth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
Boone prioritizes team well-being
While Cortes doesn’t like his role as a reliever, the 4.1 hitless innings he pitched Saturday showed he can be a great resource out of the bullpen. Cortes leads the Yankees in innings pitched this season with 163.1. The decision to send him to the bullpen comes on the heels of the return of Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt from the injured list, which has created a challenge for New York’s rotation.
Boone recognizes the value of Cortes
“Clearly, he wants to be starting, and certainly there’s a case for that as he’s now going back into the rotation,” Boone said. “But we also saw a guy come out and excel in a low-scoring game and finish off a great day for us on the mound. So no, [I’m] totally OK with that.”
