Starter? Long man? Nestor Cortes’ role with the Phillies remains to be seen
Also, the Phillies’ fantasy football draft order is set.
Nestor Cortes might be part of the Phillies’ organization, but his role with the pitching staff is still to be determined.
The veteran pitcher signed with the team on Wednesday and was optioned to single-A Clearwater, where he will continue his rehab.
It’s been almost a year since his last MLB appearance on Sept. 3, 2025, and he had surgery to repair a torn left biceps in October. Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said Cortes has been throwing extended bullpen sessions and believes he threw a live bullpen on Friday.
Cortes “says he’s ready to roll,” Mattingly said on Friday.
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What that will look like remains to be seen.
Ahead of the signing becoming official on Wednesday, Mattingly discussed the possibility of a six-man rotation, but wasn’t sold on the idea of it while the Phillies are in a playoff race.
Instead, Mattingly alluded to the possibility of Cortes pitching out of the bullpen as he continues his rehab, especially with the long road that comes with the buildup required of a starter’s workload. And with 34 games remaining ahead of Friday’s series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals, there isn’t much time.
“I’m not sure the plan is trying to get built to be a starter,” Mattingly said. “That’s kind of a long build. That’s throwing, getting to 75 to 90 pitches, four days in between every one of those. So I think it’s getting going, build him up, at least to a bulk grow, go from there.”
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It wouldn’t be Cortes’ first stint in the bullpen since becoming a starter for the Yankees midway through the 2021 season. The 2022 All-Star made a bullpen appearance for New York against the Chicago Cubs in 2024, after which he told reporters he was “upset” about. He also came out of the bullpen in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series and allowed the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history, off the bat of Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman.
The role isn’t set in stone, however, and Mattingly said it will depend on his status when he arrives in Philly and can be assessed in person.
“We got to see what we got, right?” Mattingly said. “I think guys throwing bullpens out there, coming back from injuries and things like that and throwing lives, you always want to get him in the organization, get your hands on him, see where he’s at with kind of everything. Got to get him going and see what we got.”
The 31-year-old has a career 3.94 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP but had a 6.29 ERA and 1.63 WHIP in eight appearances split between the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres last season.
Extra bases
The Phillies kicked off Players Weekend with their tradition of hitting golf balls to determine their fantasy football draft order. Whoever hit the ball closest to the pin — a trash can in center field — would pick first.
Kyle Schwarber won for the second year in a row, Trea Turner confirmed. When the ritual started with Rhys Hoskins in 2023, Bryson Stott secured the first pick, and J.T. Realmuto earned it the second year.
When the idea began with Hoskins, however, the golf balls were hit from home plate. This year, the Phillies took turns teeing off from the upper deck, mimicking the Upper Deck Golf event that has come through Citizens Bank Park every November since 2023, the year the tradition began.
Mattingly, who witnessed the 4-year-old tradition for the first time on Friday gave it his seal of approval.
“I like it,” Mattingly said. “Looks like fun.”
Tony Gwynn Jr. is a former major league outfielder and son of late Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. Over the last two years, he got to know new Phillies second baseman Luis Arraez, whose contact skills at the plate often draw comparisons to Gwynn. Tony Jr. joined Phillies Extra to discuss his father, Arraez, and the bonds that connect them. Watch here.
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