Brewers Took Step To Bring Ex-Yankees All-Star To Milwaukee

The Milwaukee Brewers took a significant step in getting a piece of the starting rotation back on Wednesday.

Milwaukee acquired Nestor Cortes in a trade with the New York Yankees this past offseason, but he hasn't gotten much time in the majors this year. That's because he was dealing with a left elbow flexor strain. His last start in Milwaukee was on April 3rd.

That's been unfortunate, but he took a step in the right direction on Wednesday as he began a minor league rehab assignment with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. He couldn't have asked for a much better first outing in his return. Cortes pitched three innings and didn't allow a run. Cortes gave up just one base hit and struck out four batters while throwing 37 pitches.

That's just what the doctor ordered.

Cortes was a big pickup this past offseason. At the time, the Brewers had very little left-handed depth for the rotation. Cortes was supposed to be the guy to help balance it, but he went down quickly. Luckily, the Brewers landed José Quintana as well.

With Cortes working his way back, that will eventually lead to some questions for Milwaukee. The rotation already seems to be full and that doesn't even include Brandon Woodruff who is expected to return this weekend. If Cortes doesn't suffer any setbacks, a return after the All-Star break seems possible. But, how will the Brewers handle the rotation from there? That's a problem for another day. The fact that Cortes is working his way back is positive and is all that matters at this moment.