TAMPA — Nestor Cortez started racking up frequent flier miles to finally overcome his shoulder problems.
The Yankees’ left-hander may not have fully recovered from the rotator cuff injury that derailed last year’s season, but he is feeling good in the first week of spring training thanks to a change in his offseason rehab plan.
After taking a break from pitching in November (a second rotator cuff injury ended his season in August, and by the end of October he had regained the strength to pitch twice in the bullpen), Cortez returned to his home in Miami and pitched 12 I started throwing again on the 3rd of the month.
However, about 10 to 15 days into the throwing program, he felt like his shoulder wasn’t making any progress.
“[So] I decided to come here to Tampa. [Yankees’] We are training our staff and working on things that might get us over the hump in our shoulders,” Cortez said Friday. “It went well.”
Cortez developed a routine of flying from Miami to Tampa every Sunday or Monday, spending the week rehabbing and training at the Yankees’ player development facility, and then flying home on the weekends.
Because the Yankees’ training staff knew Cortez’s arm and its optimal movement, they were better able to prescribe exactly what Cortez needed to strengthen.
In the morning, he stretches his shoulders and then lifts weights, “to the point of exhausting himself just to strengthen his shoulders.”
“I think it scared him a little bit, but in a good way,” pitching coach Matt Blake said of Cortez having to get over a hump in his shoulder. “Sometimes they get scared out of their minds about something like that. And it’s better to have all the resources around you to answer any questions they have. You’re responsible for all the treatment. I think he understands the importance of staying on the field. So it was great that he made that decision. [to come to Tampa]”
So far, the results have been encouraging for Cortez and the Yankees.
Cortez’s problems last season, when he posted a 4.97 ERA in 63¹/₃ innings, stemmed from him struggling to recover between starts.
He’s still early in the process of ramping up his workload this spring (he pitched two innings in batting practice on Wednesday), but recovery hasn’t been an issue yet.
“I’m happy with where he’s at,” Blake said. “Obviously he has to keep increasing his volume and that’s always the scariest time of the year for everyone. I think it’s just making sure we’re doing everything we’re supposed to be doing.”
Cortez said he didn’t have to consider having shoulder surgery during the offseason.
Those thoughts continued toward the end of the season, when he wasn’t feeling any better, “and I was a little scared.”
However, he sought second and third opinions, none of which recommended immediate surgery.
The consensus was that rehabilitation could resolve the issue, even if it took some time to “get over the hump,” he said.
“I think sometimes we keep governors in office because we’re not sure,” Blake said. “So I think it was a sign in the right direction for me to come here and feel safe and get full treatment and start to feel better.”
The Yankees plan to give Cortez an extra day between starts at times this spring, but the team still expects him to fully develop to around 90 pitches by the end of camp.
His recovery between trips will remain to be seen as camp progresses, but Cortez is hopeful that the work he put in during the offseason will allow him to stay healthy.
“Seeing everyone here motivated me to come here.” [to the Yankees’ complex] I wanted to see them prepare and check all the boxes so I know that if I get hurt, it’s not because I didn’t try,” Cortez said. Ta.
The Yankees also definitely need the healthiest version of Cortez as part of a rotation, especially with question marks over Gerrit Cole.
Cortes believes he can still pitch like he did in 2022, when he was named an All-Star and pitched a career-high 158¹/₃ innings with a 2.44 ERA.
“Once you’re healthy and everything feels right, you can be like anyone else,” Cortez said. “That’s my mentality.”
