Could the Yankees move this quality starting pitcher to the bullpen?

The New York Yankees have a lot of interesting pitching decisions to make before October.

While both teams have been inconsistent, the starting rotation is currently in better shape than the relievers. With Luis Gil back on Friday and Clarke Schmidt back on Saturday, the Yankees’ rotation is at six starters; a postseason rotation typically consists of three or four starters.

This situation has led the Bronx Bombers to consider an interesting, but wise, strategy. According to Greg Joyce of the New York Post, starting pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr. could replace Schmidt in Saturday’s game against the Chicago Cubs.

It’s worth mentioning that Cortes was used as a relief pitcher early in his career, and it wasn’t until 2021 that the Yankees upgraded him to a starter. However, Cortes has had success as a starter with a 3.42 ERA, 3.71 FIP, and 8.9 fWAR over the last four seasons; he even leads all Yankees pitchers in fWAR this season, with 2.7.

Another factor to consider is Schmidt’s stamina in his return from injury. Since this will be his first time on the mound for the Bronx Bombers since May 26, he’ll likely be on a hard-pitch limit. So even if Cortes does get on the mound in relief, he’ll likely pitch multiple innings. Not only would that make Schmidt an opening pitcher for Saturday’s game, it would also indicate that Cortes would be a long-term reliever if he were moved to the bullpen, rather than a high-leverage, one-inning reliever.

Regardless of whether this potential relief appearance has legitimate implications for the Yankees’ playoff rotation or not, it should still be interesting to see if Nestor can be effective in a reliever role.