The Yankees and Dodgers are going to be facing each other in the World Series for the first time since 1981. Since neither LCS went seven games, there will be a few off-days before the World Series is scheduled to begin on Friday. Between now and then, both clubs will be assessing some injured players to see if they could act as reinforcements for the final stretch of the postseason.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters today that there’s “a decent chance” left-hander Nestor Cortes will be on the World Series roster. Brendan Kuty of The Athletic was among those to relay that info on X. As for the Dodgers, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was on SNLA last night and said there’s a chance both righty Brusdar Graterol and lefty Alex Vesia make the roster for the series, per Blake Harris on X.
Cortes landed on the injured list September 25 due to a flexor strain in his throwing elbow. He was shut down for about a week before starting to ramp up again, but hasn’t been on the Yankee roster for any of their postseason series so far.
Presumably, Cortes would be limited to a relief role in the World Series. He was largely working as a starter this year but has been out of action for about a month and has been throwing 10-15 pitch bullpen sessions lately.
The Yanks have had Tim Hill and Tim Mayza as their left-hander relief options of late. Both have been posting good results but in a low-strikeout, grounder-heavy fashion. Hill tossed 44 innings for the Yankees this year with a 2.05 earned run average, only striking out 10.4% of batters faced but with a massive 69.9% ground ball rate. His numbers in seven postseason appearances have been fairly similar: 1.59 ERA, 9.1% strikeout rate and 63.2% grounder rate.
Mayza tossed 18 innings for the Yankees this year with a flat ERA of 4.00. He struck out just 16.2% of batters faced but got grounders at a 55.4% clip. He has only been trusted to toss 1 1/3 innings in the playoffs thus far.
Cortes had a strikeout rate above 25% in each season from 2021 to 2023. That number dropped to 22.8% in 2024 but was still a solid mark. Pitchers can often rack up a few more Ks when moving from the rotation to the bullpen, throwing a little bit harder in shorter stints as opposed to pacing themselves for longer outings. Whether Cortes can do that or not might depend on his health, but if he’s in decent form, he should be expected to provide more punchouts than Hill or Mayza.
Vesia has made 232 regular-season appearances for the Dodgers in his career with a 2.89 ERA. His 11.5% walk rate is on the high side but he’s been able to offset that with a 32.3% strikeout rate. He’s been trusted enough to earn eight saves and 48 holds in that time.
He was on the Dodgers’ roster for the NLDS against the Padres but departed the final contest with an oblique/intercostal injury. He was left off the club’s NLCS roster but could potentially be back in the mix for the World Series. Anthony Banda is currently the only lefty option in the Dodger bullpen, so manager Dave Roberts would undoubtedly love to have Vesia back in the mix.
Graterol is more of a wild card as his 2024 has mostly been a lost season. He only made seven regular season appearances this year due to various injuries. He started the year on the IL due to both hip tightness and right shoulder inflammation, with the latter issue keeping him on the shelf until August. He made his season debut August 6 but left that outing with a right hamstring strain. He came off the IL in September and made six appearances that month but landed back on the IL in the final days of the season due to some more shoulder inflammation.
The on-and-off shoulder problems are concerning but the club might take a chance on him anyway. He’s been a key piece of their bullpen for years and was in good form as recently as 2023. He posted a 1.20 ERA over 68 appearances last year. His 18.7% strikeout rate was subpar but that’s always been his style. He limited walks to a 4.7% clip and kept batted balls on the ground 64.4% of the time.
Hoping for a great 7 game series
Hoping the Yankees blow out the Dodgers in a four game sweep. Not gonna happen but that’s what I want.
Dodgers in 6
Yankee hater =}
I’ll believe Graterol is on the WS roster only when they are officially named. That said? Was upset years back when Boston got looney and removed him from the Betts deal and took that flop jeter downs then and posted at the time it was a big mistake. Injuries and all Graterol has been a lock down reliever when healthy and who knows what country downs is currently playing in.
In his lone start against the Dodgers on June 8th this season Cortes’ line was:
5.1 IP
4 ER
2 HRs
1 BB
7 hits
4 Ks
82 pitches total
Obviously Nestor isn’t going to be starting and he was pitching fairly well since mid August prior to his injury so he could be a very welcome addition to the Yankees bullpen in this series. We shall see.
I’d start Nestor or Stroman, bring Gil out the bullpen.
If Vesia and Graterol are in, i prefer Landon Knack and Henriquez out and keep Honeywell
Absolutely! Henriquez is still an unknown and I have no idea what happened to Knack. His last outing was disturbing, to say the least.
One outing and he’s ready for the scrap heap? I no more consider one bad start to be a deciding factor to non-roster a capable arm, than I consider Buehler to be fully back after just one good outing.
Dodger fans are known to suffer from “recentism”. A bad outing or two and you’re trash, and a good outing or two and you’re golden. See Casparius. Pitching is complex. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason for pitchers losing command and not having their best stuff. Look at Flaherty’s up and down tenure with the Dodgers. Buehler too, mostly down but fans love him now. A month or two ago, nobody wanted him near a roster spot.
Assuming both Graterol and Vesia are available, Henriquez should be first one replaced. Last one will be a tough call between Casparius, Knack and Honeywell.
Casperius is in. He was trusted in a bullpen game. Knack was too, with poor results, but he could easily take the mop-up role. It’s not as if Honeywell was that great.
Its the WS. There is no mop up role to fill.
Not that great? 7.2 out of the pen isn’t good enough? And knack was too? lol what has knack done? What about henriquez? Considering Honeywell saved the bullpen. Name someone else out of the pen that threw 7.2 innings in the NLCS. I’ll wait.
To be fair, most of Honeywell’s appearances in regular season and postseason have been in low leverage and mop up situations. And Knack had a much bigger sample size in regular season, and for the most part pitched well. He’s also mostly been a starter or pitched starter innings. He has been tagged a bit with the long ball, which is definitely a worry. He simply lost command that inning and gave up the big HR. I’m not sure if the Dodgers will give him another shot in postseason but a bit apples to oranges in terms of the situation that Knack has pitched versus Honeywell. I have my doubts on whether both Vesia and Graterol being ready so we may be arguing a moot point.
To be fair Honeywell has started, closed, got a save, got a hold, thrown back to back multiples, throws multiples every time out of the pen, keeps games at bay, mop up role that. Honeywell is their long guy. Especially since graterol has been hurt all year. The dude just went 7.2 in the CS. How many did knack have? No it’s a point that’s clear. You haven’t said anything about henriquez. He’s got like 5 innings in the bigs in his career. How many times did he throw in the CS? Those guys are there for taxi. Honeywell has made it clear he belongs.
He started one game this season in regular season. He’s a mop up guy. If you look at the entire season Knack has been by far the more impactful pitcher. Honeywell in postseason has allowed 14 base runners in 7 2/3 innings. Way too much traffic. It’s inevitable that you allow more runs when you allow that many base runners. On a bigger sample size his numbers would be much worse. He’s always pitching with traffic. I’m thankful for guys like Honeywell but let’s not exaggerate his accomplishments. Knack could have easily mopped up but I’m sure they were saving him in case there was a more impactful part of the game where he would be needed.
hey’ll team up to form a legendary three-man pitching super-reliever—The Flexor Avengers!
WS is an absolute joke this year
And exactly why is that? Because your team didn’t make it? Because you hate one or both of the teams that are in it? Those are the only answers. And all of them suggest that you’re extremely immature.
Everyone but Yankees and Dodgers fans hates both teams in the WS this year.
Grow up
I’m 42. I don’t root for teams who buy their roster. World Series of Spending is such a lame outcome.
No one is suggesting you root for either team. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the games played at the highest level of the sport. Being incapable of that is sad, for a supposed baseball fan.
The Dodgers have a lot of homegrown players on their roster. Others that they have were acquired for homegrown players. Look it up. Not that it likely makes a difference to people who only see dollar signs.
Curious who you root for?
Dodgers have also lost a lot of players that they developed in-house and/or reclamation projects to free agency. Believe it or not folks, big market teams also lose players to free agency. Can’t sign them all to long-term deals. They haven’t developed as many players, especially position players of late versus the previous run-rate. Which is why they have spent more and gone the free agency route. Believe me, if they could, they’d much rather develop talent organically and keep payroll down. All teams prefer to be fiscally responsible, but with the Dodgers, of course winning comes first and foremost.
Bad argument. It’s easy to keep and curate home grown players when you can buy top tier free agents to fill in your gaps. Most other teams have to trade away prospects by the handful each offseason just to try to compete when they are in their window.
I am not hating on the practice, but this cookie-cutter reply by Yank and Dodger fans is deciding lacking in depth and understanding, probably because you don’t have to go through it.
Name them, and then look at where they were in their career trajectory and who they replaced them with. I can bet you almost all were over the hill or in decline and/or were replaced with better players. Don’t act like they suffer to the same extent lesser markets do where they continually have to trade away stars before they become FA’s because they know they can’t afford them.
The Dodgers have almost certainly extended every player they really wanted to extned over the years. Maybe they have made one or two tough decisions, but genenrally they only let FA’s walk if they know they have or can get better, not because of dollars.
but genenrally they only let FA’s walk if they know they have or can get better, not because of dollars.
Or if Boras is their agent.
I understand the whole excessive payroll discussion and I am disappointed that my team has stopped spending even though they can but that’s life
However I don’t understand the hate towards this years World Series. How can any baseball lover not be excited by 4 of the best players in the game today playing against each other.
That part I’m looking forward to!
@Trot
The hate is apparently all some people have to hold onto. As my buddy used to say “Fine. more hot dogs for me.”
Just like 1981. Pointless really.
After game 6 of the ‘81 Series at Yankee Stadium which the Dodgers won taking the championship, my wife and I hopped on a subway train to go home. As we got on the train we removed our Dodger jackets and stuffed them in our bags so as not to provoke any big bad Yankee fans. A Yankee fan sitting near us said “put your colors back on. You earned the right to celebrate.”
We did.
That’s one reason the 1981 Series mattered and why all World Series games matter. Because the highest level of competition can bring out the best in all of us.
If you don’t get that I feel sorry for you.
whyhayzee is a known Red Sox fan and Yankee grifter… I feel sorry for him already
That is a very cool thing that Yankee fan said to you. And the fan was right.
I am glad you got to experience not just the victory but also that fan’s grace toward you. And I don’t just say that as a fellow Dodger fan. We need more of that 43 years later.
Rudy Giuliani is a Yankee fan. He’s a real peach. Oh, and now he has to turn in his World Series rings. I wonder what position he played.
Grifter?
Gerrit Cole is a known cheater. Can’t succeed without “help”. Stanton is so obviously on vitamins it is laughable. But hey, they’re great.
How many billions of dollars have they spent just to get back to the World Series after 15 years? But hey, they’re great.
Hey. They’re great.
Go to Lambeau field and everyone in this chat will become better fans!
I love Dodger blue but not one team is bigger than the show!
Best record in each league advanced to World Series. When is the last time that happened?
2013 and I believe it’s only the sixth time in the past 50 years
Least interesting World Series ever.
Aww did your team lose? A mature reaction.
World Series of Spending. So much to root for.
And I guarantee that whatever team you root for, you wish they would spend money on better players. It’s no surprise that you have to have the horses to win the race.
Come on, giant meteor!
Sasquatch would like a word with you!
Let’s go Yankees!!!! Add Cortes and Poteet to the roster. Desperately need more pitching. Yankees under dogs first time since 1996. We all know how that series went. Atlanta had the best starting pitchers in baseball. I like my teams chances. It won’t be easy but I like my teams chances.
It’ll be the same roster except for Nestor for Tim Mayza.
Negative. Stroman will be dropped aloneith one of Dominguez or Grisham to make room for both
If Vesia and Graterol are able to come back without limitations, it would be huge. LA would essential have 5 highly effective relievers. (Kopech, Treinen, Phillips, Vesia, and Graterol). Plus, they also would have Hudson and Banda to help bridge the gap to the back end of the BP. Of course, it won’t matter much if they aren’t able to score and get a lead.
Can’t wait for the series to start.
Due to the history of the franchises, it will be an epic World Series. Due to the inequality of market size and payrolls compared to the rest of the teams, to many it will be a sign of how unfair the system is. While its always good to watch an Ali vs Foreman battle, some like a Balboa vs Creed. Yes, our team didn’t make it, but having an underdog to root for is what’s missing for us.