The San Diego Padres acquired left-hander Nestor Cortes (elbow) from the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, a source told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. It's unclear what the Padres sent the Brewers in return. It's unclear how much Cortes will be able to provide for the Padres this year, considering he's started just two games and is currently on the 60-day injured list with a left-elbow flexor strain. However, the 30-year-old veteran southpaw could be ready to return to the big leagues in August and give the Padres more length in either their starting rotation or as a long-relief arm out of their bullpen. For fantasy purposes, it's unlikely that Cortes is going to provide much in the final two months of the season, even if he returns in August. He also struggled in his two starts with Milwaukee, allowing eight earned runs, five homers and seven walks in eight innings.UPDATE: Minor-league shortstop Jorge Quintana was sent along with Cortes in exchange for outfielder Brandon Lockridge.

The Milwaukee Brewers will "start listening" to trade offers for starting pitcher Nestor Cortes, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Cortes (elbow) has been on the injured list since early April due to a flexor strain in his left elbow. However, he threw 93 pitches in a rehab outing on Thursday and appears to be ready to return to the big league mound. In 174 1/3 innings (30 starts) for the New York Yankees in 2024, Cortes was 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 162 strikeouts. Milwaukee is a contending team, but they have pitching depth in both the major leagues and Triple-A. Trading Cortes to a pitching-needy buyer could allow them to acquire a major league hitter who can step in and help the lineup immediately.

Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Nestor Cortes (elbow) threw 93 pitches on Thursday night for Triple-A Nashville in his fourth rehab start. He allowed two runs (one earned) over 5 2/3 innings of work. He allowed four hits, one walk, and nine strikeouts in a 2-0 loss. Based on this outing, it appears that Cortes is fully ramped up and should rejoin the Brewers soon. The Brewers have a tough decision to make, as they have one of the best rotations in baseball in Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, Jacob Misiorowski, Quinn Priester, and Jose Quintana. The highest ERA in that room is Quintana with a 3.49 ERA, which is respectable. The Brewers will need to decide if they want to deploy a six-man rotation or bump one of those starters to the bullpen. With Woodruff just returning from injury and the Brewers attempting to limit Misiorowski's workload, it appears on the surface that they will likely try to deploy a six-man rotation. Still, nothing is officially announced at this time. All that being said, Cortes is a proven MLB starter with a career 3.88 ERA in 576 innings pitched.

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Nestor Cortes (elbow) is scheduled to throw 90 pitches in what could be his final rehab start on Thursday, reports Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com. He's completed three rehab starts so far, allowing just one earned run in three appearances at the High-A level. Assuming everything goes smoothly on Thursday, he should be ready to rejoin the rotation after building up to 90 pitches. The 30-year-old last pitched on April 3 before suffering an elbow strain. After giving up eight runs in his first start of the season, he pitched six shutout innings in his second and final start before landing on the injured list.

Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Nestor Cortes (elbow) is expected to return to the Milwaukee Brewers in about 10-14 days after suffering a left-elbow flexor strain back on April 6, Francys Romero reports. Thus far this season, he has made two starts, one of which was a nightmare, where he allowed eight earned runs against the New York Yankees in two innings. The other was a gem against the Cincinnati Reds, where he threw six shutout innings. The Brewers' rotation is deep, thanks to Brandon Woodruff getting healthy and Jacob Misiorowski's impressive pitching. It is unclear at this point how the Brewers will plan to handle their rotation when Cortes returns. They could opt for a six-man rotation, and if not, it seems likely that Jose Quintana or Quinn Priester will be moved to the bullpen. Cortes has a strong enough background over the last four seasons with the Yankees that it seems likely he should stick in the rotation, and someone else will be bumped out.

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Nestor Cortes (elbow) continued his rehab work with High-A Wisconsin on Thursday. The southpaw tossed four scoreless innings, allowing three hits, zero walks, and two strikeouts. Cortes only threw 54 pitches during this outing, but the Brewers don't want to push him too hard this early into rehabbing. Afterwards, Cortes said he'd have at least one more rehab start, but will probably end up pitching two games before rejoining the Brewers rotation. He figures to be ready to return before the end of July.

Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Nestor Cortes (elbow) will make his next scheduled rehab start at the High-A level on Thursday. The goal is for Cortes to throw 65 pitches in the outing, according to Jack Stern of Brewer Fanatic. Cortes hasn't pitched in the majors since April 3 because of a strained left elbow. He made just two starts before the injury, one of which was a dud and the other a six-inning shutout. In total, Cortes has given up eight earned runs over eight frames in his first season as a Brewer. The 30-year-old should be back soon after the All-Star break, though it's unclear if he'll rejoin Milwaukee's rotation or pitch out of the bullpen.

Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Nestor Cortes (elbow) made his first minor-league rehab start on Wednesday with Triple-A Nashville and looked good, throwing three shutout innings with only one hit allowed, no walks and four strikeouts against Triple-A Memphis. Cortes is making progress from a strained left elbow that has kept him sidelined since early April, but given his long layoff, he's unlikely to be an option to rejoin Milwaukee's starting rotation until the start of the second half of the season later this month. The 30-year-old Cuban southpaw was hit hard in his first two starts for the Brew Crew, allowing eight earned runs on seven hits (five homers) while walking seven and striking out eight in eight innings. Cortes has shown stretches of brilliance over his seven-year career, but he's dealt with multiple injuries in recent seasons and could be used out of the bullpen upon his return.

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Nestor Cortes (elbow) threw a two-inning simulated game on Friday. It appears to have gone well as Cortes will now begin a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday. The expectation is that Cortes is going to need multiple rehab outings before being cleared to return. If everything goes well, Cortes should be back in the Brewers rotation by around the All-Star break. The southpaw has been sidelined since early April due to a left elbow strain. He could be worth stashing in deep leagues.

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Nestor Cortes (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Friday. This marks the second time that Cortes will throw since going down with a left elbow flexor strain in April. If everything goes well on Friday, Cortes will hopefully begin to face hitters. After that, Cortes will head out on a rehab assignment before eventually rejoining the Brewers rotation. It sounds like Cortes is going to be out until at least around the All-Star break. The left-hander has only made two starts this season, but will hopefully be an option for the team in the second half.

Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Nestor Cortes (elbow) resumed playing catch on Sunday. Cortes, who was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 21, received a platelet-rich plasma injection for a left-elbow flexor strain after his April 3 start. It's good to hear that Cortes has resumed throwing after his early-season injury, but he still has a ways to go and isn't expected to be an option for Milwaukee's starting rotation until around the All-Star break in mid-July. The 30-year-old veteran southpaw from Cuba was hit around pretty hard in his first start of the year against his old team, the New York Yankees, allowing eight earned runs on five home runs in just two innings. However, he bounced back to toss six shutout innings for his first win on April 3 against the Cincinnati Reds before landing on the shelf. Cortes should be an option again for those in deeper fantasy leagues in the second half of the season.

The Milwaukee Brewers moved left-hander Nestor Cortes (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday to make room on the 40-man roster for right-handed reliever Craig Yoho. Cortes is dealing with a left-elbow flexor strain and received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his arm earlier this month. With the move to the 60-day IL, it means that the 30-year-old veteran southpaw won't be eligible to return to Milwaukee's starting rotation until June. He has yet to be cleared to resume throwing a baseball. In addition to his serious elbow injury, the Cuban hurler got off to a rough start in his time with the Brew Crew in two starts before going on the shelf, allowing eight earned runs on seven hits (five homers) while walking seven and striking out eight in eight innings. Cortes is not a must-hold in mixed fantasy leagues.

Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Nestor Cortes (elbow) received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his injured left elbow, according to manager Pat Murphy. The Brewers placed Cortes on the injured list on Sunday due to a left-elbow strain, and there is no timetable for his return. At the very least, the 30-year-old southpaw will miss the rest of April. In his first start with the Brew Crew against his former team, the New York Yankees, Cortes had a nightmare outing, allowing eight earned runs on six hits (five homers allowed) while walking five and striking out two in just two innings of work. He rebounded with six shutout innings with six K's and a win in his second start against the Cincinnati Reds, though, before landing on the IL. For now, recent acquisition Quinn Priester will take Cortes' spot in Milwaukee's starting rotation.

The Milwaukee Brewers have placed starting pitcher Nestor Cortes (elbow) on the 15-day injured list due to a left elbow flexor strain. In a corresponding move, the team promoted left-handed pitcher Grant Wolfram from Triple-A Nashville. After a tough Milwaukee debut against his former club in the Bronx, the southpaw was able to bounce back in his second outing, tossing six shutout innings with just one hit and two walks. He struck out six. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status, but this injury could keep Cortes sidelined for longer than the 15-day minimum. Cortes will join a long list of Milwaukee starting pitchers who are currently sidelined, such as Tobias Myers (oblique), Brandon Woodruff (shoulder), and Aaron Civale (hamstring). With Cortes hitting the IL, Chad Patrick and Elvin Rodriguez should continue to see opportunities in the starting rotation.

Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Nestor Cortesturned in a quality start in a 1-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. Cortes tossed six shutout innings, allowing just one hit while striking out six and walking two to earn his first win of the season. The veteran hurler evened his record at 1-1 after a rough season debut against the New York Yankees that saw him cough up eight runs in two innings. Cortes will look to stay in the win column in his next start.

Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Nestor Cortes (elbow) was out from late September until the World Series with the New York Yankees this year, but he's had a "fully healthy offseason," according to general manager Matt Arnold. The Brewers did extensive work on Cortes' medicals before acquiring him from the Yankees this week as part of the deal that sent All-Star closer Devin Williams to the Bronx. Cortes had an MRI exam a couple weeks ago that cleared him to begin his offseason throwing program on schedule last week. The 30-year-old veteran dealt with a flexor strain in his left elbow, but he appears to be healthy now and should be ready for the start of the 2025 season, barring a setback. He threw a career-high 174 1/3 innings in 2024 and had an ERA under 2.00 in his last seven outings before getting hurt. In Milwaukee, he'll be a back-end rotation arm in fantasy that comes with injury concerns.

The Milwaukee Brewers acquired left-hander Nestor Cortes and second base prospect Caleb Durbin from the New York Yankees on Friday in exchange for right-handed reliever Devin Williams, according to sources. Cortes became expendable for the Yankees after they signed left-hander Max Fried this week to add to their starting rotation. Cortes dealt with some injuries in 2024 and finished the regular-season on the shelf due to a flexor strain, although he was able to make it back in a relief role during the World Series. When healthy, the 30-year-old veteran southpaw was solid on the mound in pinstripes last season, posting a 3.77 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 162 strikeouts and 39 walks in 174 1/3 innings in his fourth year with the team. Before his injury, he had a 1.58 ERA in his final seven appearances. The health of Cortes' elbow makes him a bit risky, but the move to Milwaukee should guarantee him a rotation spot if he's healthy.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes (elbow) will join the Yankees roster for the World Series. Cortes has been out since September 18 while dealing with a flexor strain in his left elbow. With just a month of recovery, Cortes could be risking re-injury, but the lefty will consider it worth the risk if he comes away with a World Series ring. The Yankees have not said whether the 29-year-old will start or come out of the bullpen, but given the nature of his injury and the fact he hasn't pitched in a live game in a month, expect the latter. Jon Berti was taken off the roster to make room for Cortes.

New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes (elbow) expects to be on the roster for the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, even though he knows there's long-term injury risk if he comes back a month after being diagnosed with a flexor strain in his left elbow. "We have weighed in the consequences this can lead up to," Cortes said, "but if I have a ring and then a year off of baseball, then so be it." The 29-year-old southpaw continues to ramp up and threw a 28-pitch live batting practice session on Tuesday. Manager Aaron Boone said on Monday there was a "good chance" Cortes would be added to the World Series roster. Since he has not pitched in a big-league game since Sept. 18, he is most likely to be used in a relief role out of the Yankees' bullpen against LA. Cortes would join lefties Tim Hill and Tim Mayza out of the bullpen.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said there's a "good chance" that left-hander Nestor Cortes (elbow) will be included on the roster for the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, which begins this Friday at Dodger Stadium. Cortes is set to throw another live batting practice session on Tuesday, and if he gets through that without a setback, he could get the clearance to rejoin the roster. The 29-year-old has been out since late September due to a left flexor strain in his left elbow, so he's fully expected to come back and pitch out of New York's bullpen in the World Series. The Cuban southpaw went 9-10 during the regular season in 31 outings (30 starts), posting a 3.77 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 162 strikeouts in 174 1/3 innings pitched. Cortes allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings at Yankee Stadium in a start against the Dodgers back on June 8.