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On Thursday, Nestor Cortes moved closer to ensuring that a hamstring strain will not interfere with his availability for the start of the regular season.
The left-handed pitcher for the Yankees threw an inning of live batting practice at Steinbrenner Field, where he faced hitters for the first time during this spring training.
Cortes looked sharp and felt healthy, with no issues or pain, as he faced five hitters and threw 20 pitches, including strikeouts of Josh Donaldson and Anthony Rizzo.
Cortes then progressed to running at around 90 per cent and felt comfortable.
Although he has not yet participated in pitchers’ fielding practice, Cortes is expected to throw live batting practice at least once more before pitching in a game.
Cortes and manager Aaron Boone expressed encouragement at how sharp his pitches looked after his brief setback.
In addition to Cortes, left-handed pitcher Matt Krook, who has been added to the 40-man roster this offseason, worked two innings of live batting practice on Thursday.
Boone revealed that the Yankees almost added Krook to their playoff roster last year as a reliever because of his effectiveness against left-handed hitters.
While the Yankees are projected to have only one lefty in their bullpen, Wandy Peralta, Krook is currently being built up to provide length as a possible depth starter, and the team may also try him out of the bullpen this spring.
On Saturday, in the Grapefruit League opener against the Phillies in Clearwater, Fla., notable Yankees scheduled to play include Gleyber Torres, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Oswaldo Cabrera, and prospect Jasson Dominguez.
»Nestor Cortes moves to prevent hamstring strain from preventing him this season«
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