Aaron Boone addresses ‘upset’ Nestor Cortes ‘workhorse’ remark following Yankees 1-2 loss against Cubs

Aaron Boone says he doesn’t mind Nestor Cortes’ outburst after Saturday’s game against Cubs; says there are times when tough decisions are to be made.

Aaron Boone addresses ‘upset’ Nestor Cortes ‘workhorse’ remark following Yankees 1-2 loss against Cubs

Aaron Boone and Nestor Cortes [Image Credit: Imago]

New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes voices frustration over the bullpen move after boosting the team to a 2-0 win on Saturday against the Cubs. He expressed he is “upset” over manager Aaron Boone’s decision, but promises to give his 100% when the team needs his help.

Boone commented that he didn’t mind Cortes’ words in the postgame interview. However, after Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Cubs, he once again addressed the buzz circling around Cortes’ comments.

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Before the series finale on Sunday, Aaron Boone said that there’s no way to keep everyone happy. Tough decisions are to be taken, setting aside personal feelings in a bullpen rotation during clutch regular season games.

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I don’t need everyone to be happy with everything. 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 and do your job and be a pro and that’s what we saw with Nestor.
Aaron Boone as per Greg Joyce of NY Post.

He further added, clearly, Nestor Cortes wants to be in the starting rotation and he’ll be called to play at the right time, but apparently it wasn’t that time on Sunday. The pitcher is expected to make an appearance, likely, on Friday against the Boston Red Sox.

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Nestor Cortes speaks about his new role in the bullpen

Nestor Cortes’ spot changed to the bullpen after the NY Yankees welcomed their star players back in rotation, Clarke Schmidt, and Ian Hamilton. However, their return ended up giving the 29-year-old the short end of the stick.

Nestor Cortes.
Nestor Cortes [Image Credit: MLB]

Cortes believes he has delivered enough for the team to grant him a starting position. So getting called back to the bullpen has seemingly frustrated the pitcher. He labeled himself the “workhorse” for the Yankees, saying,

Obviously, I was upset. 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.
Nestor Cortes on X.

Cortes further said he won’t back down from a challenge or leave “my teammates out to dry” but this bullpen move shocked him a bit. “You’re always going to get my best effort, no matter if I’m happy or not,” he added.

Despite getting moved to the bullpen Cortes proved that he can be put in any situation and he’ll make the best out of it regardless of his personal feelings. So far this year, Cortes is the only Yankees pitcher who has thrown more innings than others, recording 9-10 with a 3.97 ERA, a 1.151 WHIP, and 147 strikeouts. His consistent health and power have booted the team in times of struggle.

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