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New York Yankees starting pitcher/relief pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr. is a fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup for Week 25 of the 2021 MLB season. Consider adding the SP/RP if he's a free agent in your leagues.
BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams
ROSTERED IN: 44% of leagues
ANALYSIS: New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr. has been one of the team's nicest surprises on the mound this year. The lefty has carved himself a relatively safe role in the team's rotation and he could help fantasy managers - in addition to the Yankees - over the final stretch of the regular season.
Cortes has made 18 appearances (10 starts) on the year and he has gone 2-2 with a 2.70 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP and a 3.6 K/BB ratio. He's recorded quality starts in three of his past five outings. Before this recent five-start stretch, he hadn't reached the end of the sixth inning once on the year, yet the Yankees don't seem to be opposed to stretching him out anymore. He threw 103 pitches in his most recent start and could continue to pitch deep into games going forward as long as he remains effective.
Cortes' next start is a road game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. The Orioles are a decent matchup for him. They've scored the sixth-fewest runs in the league this year, but they are better against lefties and better at home. The team has a .773 OPS at home (.654 on the road) and a .761 OPS against lefties (.686 against righties). After that, he lines up for a two-start week in Week 26 that starts off with a fantastic matchup against the Texas Rangers at home, but concludes with a tough one against the Boston Red Sox on the road. It's a solid two-start scenario for points leagues, but it's risky for categories leagues as that second start could hurt his ratios significantly.
Cortes is a great option to add off the waiver wire on Tuesday or Wednesday this week for anyone in daily lock leagues. His starts against the Orioles and Rangers are both worth gambling on if you need an arm.
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