Key Yankees pitcher is willing to risk his health to be a part of New York's World Series roster

The World Series is baseball's biggest stage, the culmination of an entire life's worth of hard work. It takes a perfect storm of talent, timing and more than a little bit of luck; many of the best players on Earth never manage to reach it at all. So when someone finally does get an opportunity, you can bet they'll move mountains to take advantage of it.

The New York Yankees haven't been on that stage in 15 years now, and while that may not seem like much to fans of many MLB franchises, it's an eternity in the Bronx. It seemed like Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole and Co. were never going to manage to get over that hump, falling short three different times in the ALCS since 2017. But thanks to the arrival of Juan Soto, New York finally broke through, outlasting the Cleveland Guardians in five games to make it back to the Fall Classic.

And now that the Yankees have scaled that mountain, you better believe that it's all hands on deck. Including one key pitcher that was thought to be lost for the rest of the season.

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Nestor Cortes expects to be on Yankees' World Series roster

When Cortes went down in mid-September with a flexor strain in his throwing elbow, it seemed unlikely the Yankees would see him on the mound again this season; it's the sort of injury that requires a full shutdown, not to mention the time it takes to ramp back up. But with his team in the World Series, Cortes isn't about to let an injury force him to the sidelines, telling reporters on Tuesday that he expects to be on New York's active roster — even if he doesn't have all that much to give.

Cortes is now over a month removed from his last big-league start. He started playing catch a couple of weeks ago, and has been through at least a couple of bullpen sessions that we know of. He certainly won't be able to give the Yankees anything like a starter's workload, but at this point it doesn't seem crazy to think he might be able to go an inning or two if the team needs an opener — or if a righty-heavy bullpen needs a left-handed option in the later innings. (Like, say, against Shohei Ohtani.) Either way, you have to admire Cortes' outlook, and his willingness to lay it on the line for a chance at a ring.