The Phillies have added a veteran reinforcement to their shallow pitching depth.
The club signed Nestor Cortes Jr. to a major league deal Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
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Cortes, a 31-year-old left-hander, last pitched on Sept. 3, 2025, before he was sidelined with a biceps tear that required surgery. Prior to the injury, he had a 6.29 ERA in eight starts with the Brewers and Padres. In his eight-year career, five of which Cortes spent with the Yankees, he has a 3.94 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP.
Cortes lacks elite velocity, with his average fastball clocking 90.1 mph in 2025. He relies on deception and misdirection in his windup, often varying his timing and even pausing in the middle of his windup to throw off hitters.
The Phillies’ starting pitching depth has been thin all season. They released Taijuan Walker in April after extended struggles. Rookie Andrew Painter was optioned to triple-A in June to work on his fastball, and while he was with the IronPigs, the Phillies relied on Alan Rangel and bullpen games to cover the No. 5 spot in the rotation.
Painter was recalled on July 31 and has shown improvement in the four starts since, and the Phillies opted not to add a starting pitcher at the trade deadline. Instead, they brought in second baseman Luis Arraez along with relievers Caleb Kilian and Brooks Raley. Kilian hit the injured list with an oblique strain after just four appearances with the Phillies.
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Last September, the Phillies added Walker Buehler as a depth starter ahead of their 2025 playoff push. To take stress off the Phillies’ rotation, they moved to a six-man rotation down the stretch.
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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