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Nestor Cortes Jr. had a tough day at the office as he was hit hard by the Minnesota Twins offense.
In his third Grapefruit League start against the Twins, Cortes had an 8.10 ERA, pitching for 3.1 innings. He gave up nine hits and six runs, including a home run, which resulted in the Yankees trailing 2-4 in the bottom of the second inning. Harrison Cohen then replaced him.
The Yankees fans were not happy with Cortes' performance ahead of the 2024 regular season and shared their opinions on X (formerly Twitter).
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“What will it take for Nestor to be elite again,” a fan commented.
The Yankees' young prospect Austin Wells hit a two-run home run in the first inning against the Twins' Bailey Ober. However, Minnesota soon narrowed the gap in the bottom of the first inning with Byron Buxton's solo home run.
Cortes tried to maintain the lead, but the damage was done. The Twins took a 2-run lead before Cohen replaced him.
Last year, Cortes was limited to 12 starts due to a shoulder injury and is looking to bounce back in 2024 after his 4.97 ERA season.
Nestor Cortes could be a key starter for the Yankees in 2024
The New York Yankees have made some significant moves to address their outfield concerns by signing Juan Soto, Trent Grissim, and Alex Verdugo. They have also bolstered their rotation by signing Marcus Stroman for a two-year $37 million contract.
However, reports suggest that the Yankees are not done with their roster moves and are strongly interested in adding Blake Snell. Experts are also speculating that there could be a trade offer from New York for Dylan Cease and a potential reunion with Jordan Montgomery.
As of now, the Yankees' rotation is being led by the reigning Cy Young winner, Gerrit Cole, and All-Star Stroman. This could be an excellent opportunity for Cortes to become a regular rotation member in 2024.
In his first spring game, Cortes struggled with a 6.75 ERA in 2.2 innings, giving up seven hits to the Twins on February 26th. However, in the next game against the Detroit Tigers, Cortes showed an improvement with a 4.05 ERA in 4.0 innings. Unfortunately, Saturday's game brought him back to square one.
The Yankees lost to the Twins with a score of 7-10, adding another loss to their losing streak. They will be up against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
