Sad Yankees injury prophecy officially fulfilled after former fan favorite's surgery

When the New York Yankees rushed Nestor Cortes back in late 2024 from a flexor strain suffered as he shuffled between the bullpen and rotation, he rejoined the roster with a depressing declaration. “If I have a ring, and then a year off from baseball, so be it," Cortes said prior to the World Series. And knowing how hard he fought for an MLB career, it should be no surprise that he'd be prepared to fight again, secure in the knowledge that he'd given everything in pursuit of a title.

Of course, only half of that prophecy was fulfilled. Not only did Cortes' Yankees lose the World Series last season, but the turning point came on his left arm. He should never have been placed in that position, of course, but still, the two-out Freddie Freeman grand slam to end Game 1 essentially sealed the team's fate before the die had been cast.

Cortes went on to pitch better in relief at Yankee Stadium, but the team alternated limply rolling over and making catastrophic mistakes before falling in five. The left-hander was then flipped to Milwaukee in the Devin Williams trade, where he was poised to spend his free agent walk year in a pitching factory. Instead, the Yankees battered him in the season's first series, he came down with a recurrence of the elbow flexor strain, he was sent to San Diego midseason, and he suffered through a 5.00+ ERA and biceps tendinitis.

And now, of course, the coup de grace: he's finally received the surgery that seemed prescribed 365 days ago, as the most depressing pitch of his career was landing in the Dodger Stadium bleachers. He's now an ideal candidate for a pillow contract aimed at 2027, as he'll miss 9-to-10 months after getting his lingering issue formally cleaned up.

Former Yankees fan favorite Nestor Cortes has highly expected arm surgery

Can't say we didn't see this coming. Doesn't make it suck any less for a lefty who's fought through endless tests of his fortitude to emerge funky on the other side.

When Cortes returns, he'll be 32 years old, needing to prove that his best fastball isn't behind him and still has enough oomph to keep hitters off balance. That uncertainty would've been worth it if he'd captured the ring he and his teammates deserved. Hopefully, he'll be able to conjure an additional silver lining without it.