Pitcher to make Padres debut vs. Diamondbacks following injury update

General manager A.J. Preller and the San Diego Padres made a haul in the days leading up to the MLB trade deadline last week, including a long list of pitchers, among them was 2022 All-Star Nestor Cortes.

Cortes, 30, is a journeyman pitcher who will join his fifth team in his eight-year career. He signed with the Milwaukee Brewers on a one-year, $7.6 million deal last offseason before getting traded to the Padres.

In the deal that resulted in Cortes being traded to San Diego, the Padres sent outfielder Brandon Lockridge, infielder Jorge Quintana, and cash considerations to the Brewers. Milwaukee covered $2.4 million of Cortes' contract in the deal.

However, Cortes hasn't seen the major league mound since early April after being placed on the 60-day injured list with an elbow flexor strain. It has been a persistent injury that the pitcher has dealt with since his time with the New York Yankees in 2024.

Cortes has been cleared after serving a rehab assignment in Triple-A before being traded in July. He is in line to start for the San Diego Padres in their series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, CBS Sports reported.

In 2025, Cortes had a small amount of experience before getting hurt. In 8.0 innings pitched this season, he has a 9.00 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, and eight strikeouts.

The former All-Star isn't expected to have a pitching restriction in his team debut after having a successful rehab assignment. Cortes' final rehab start on July 24, he threw 93 pitches.