The Phillies may be inching toward a practical answer to one of their biggest rotation questions, and it comes in the form of a veteran lefty working his way back.
Nestor Cortes Jr. is getting closer to a big league return, and the timing could line up perfectly for Philadelphia as it considers a six-man rotation down the stretch. With Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo and Cristopher Sánchez handling the front of the staff and Aaron Nola plus Andrew Painter trending up, the Phillies suddenly have options. Cortes could be the extra arm that gives everyone else a needed breather.
That doesn’t mean the Phillies are expecting the version of Cortes who was an All-Star in 2022. The former Yankee put together a 3.61 ERA over five seasons in the Bronx, but injuries wrecked his 2025 season and kept him out of the majors all year.
Philadelphia doesn’t need him to be that guy anyway. What it needs is competent innings and a way to ease the workload on a staff that could use some preservation before October.
The structure is pretty straightforward. Wheeler, Luzardo, Sánchez and Nola look lined up for the club’s four-man playoff rotation, while Painter has done enough in his return to the majors to keep a regular spot through the end of September.
Cortes would not replace any of them. Instead, he could slot into a six-man setup for the final weeks of the regular season and help the Phillies manage the grind.
There’s a catch, though: Cortes is nowhere near built up for a heavy workload. He only returned to game action on Tuesday, and with minor league seasons winding down, there isn’t much time left to stretch him out to six or seven innings. A piggyback arrangement with a multi-inning reliever may be the cleanest way to use him, allowing the Phillies to cover more innings without asking too much of a pitcher still finding his legs.
That kind of move would serve two purposes. It would give the rotation a little more rest, and it would also let Cortes make a case for a postseason roster spot. He wouldn’t be starting in October, but his funky left-handed look and history of success could make him an interesting bullpen piece for a relief group that has not exactly inspired confidence.
Philadelphia’s left-handed relief options currently include Tim Mayza, Brooks Raley and José Alvarado. Mayza and Raley have been serviceable, but both fit better in lower-leverage spots. Alvarado, meanwhile, is no longer the late-inning force he once was and can’t be counted on when everything is on the line.
Cortes has worked 49 games as a reliever and has pitched in a World Series before, though that outing did not go well. If the Phillies are leaning on him in a huge October spot, something has gone badly wrong. But as a potential extra arm, a rotation buffer and maybe even a bullpen surprise, he gives them another layer they did not have before.
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