World Series: Yankees lefty Nestor Cortes expects to be added to roster ahead of Game 1 vs. Dodgers

Nestor Cortes, his standing among teammates already secure for having some of the biggest, well, nerves, on the team, has only increased that standing in the days before the World Series starts Friday night in Los Angeles.

The 29-year-old lefthander, off the roster for each of the first two rounds of the playoffs because of a flexor strain suffered in his pitching elbow in mid-September, said on Tuesday he was willing to risk injuring himself further in order to help win a championship.

“The conversations have been really clear throughout the whole postseason,” Cortes said. “We have weighed the consequences that this can lead up to, but if I have a ring and then a year off of baseball, then so be it.”

Though some might take such a public statement with a degree of skepticism or interpret it as tough talk from a professional athlete strictly for public consumption, Cortes’ comments are consistent with his reputation in the tight-knit confines of the Yankees’ clubhouse.

“Nestor,” as one player put it, “has some of the biggest [guts] of anyone here.”

And so Cortes, who threw a 28-pitch live batting practice session Tuesday at the Stadium, was expected to be added to the Yankees’ World Series roster if he woke up Wednesday morning feeling no worse for the wear.

“My expectation is to be on for sure,” Cortes said of the roster.

It is the team’s expectation as well.

Even before Cortes threw his live BP Tuesday, manager Aaron Boone said there was “a decent chance” the lefty would be one of the 13 pitchers the Yankees are expected to carry for their 26-man World Series roster (in the ALCS they carried 12 pitchers and 14 position players).

Cortes won’t be in the rotation — the Yankees are expected to go with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil — but could play a significant role because of some of the tough lefty batters in the Dodgers’ lineup. That group is, of course, led by Shohei Othani but also includes Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy.

“He can be big for us,” said Anthony Rizzo, who understands the road Cortes is traveling because the first baseman suffered two broken fingers just before the end of the regular season and played the ALCS with those broken digits after sitting out the Division Series. “To come out and get the World Series adrenaline is huge for him.”

Rizzo, who won a World Series with the 2016 Cubs, did raise a note of caution, prudent given Cortes, who went 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA in 30 starts, hasn’t pitched in a game since Sept. 18. “Could be a little shaky, could be electric,” Rizzo said late Wednesday morning on a Zoom call, a few hours before the Yankees were to depart for the West Coast. “They have big lefties that need to be neutralized . . . but they hit everybody [lefties and righties].”

That is especially true of Ohtani, the expected 2024 NL MVP winner after hitting 54 homers, second-most in the majors to Aaron Judge’s 58.

Ohtani had an .867 OPS this season against lefty pitching, but that number soared to 1.128 against righties. Ohtani is 2-for-12 in his career vs. Cortes, both of those hits singles.

“I’m going to have to bring out the kitchen sink on him,” Cortes said. “And not only him but all the other lefties they have in that lineup.”

It should be noted that neither Cortes nor the Yankees have treated the injury in a flippant manner. For instance, while Cortes made a plea to be active for both the Division Series and ALCS rounds — particularly in the latter round when Ian Hamilton suffered a calf injury — it was a hard “no” from GM Brian Cashman.

But as Cortes’ arm felt better and better as his throwing program progressed, multiple discussions with his family, his agents and the Yankees yielded the decision to take his chances.

“I don’t want to just be here because I want to play in the World Series,” Cortes said. “I want to be here because I am going to help this team potentially win a World Series. If I’m healthy and ready to go — which I think I am — I think I’ll be able to contribute to this team.”