Sep 8, 2024, 06:38 AM ET

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    “Now they do this.”

    It was the first relief appearance since July 23, 2021, for Cortes (9-10), who lowered his ERA to 3.97 and leads the Yankees with 163⅓ innings pitched this season. He needed just 48 pitches to complete his outing Saturday, walking one and striking out three.

    “I’m never going to back down from a challenge,” he said. “I’m never going to leave my teammates out to dry. You’re always going to get my best effort, no matter if I’m happy or not.

    “That’s what I did today. I came out there and proved I can be put in any situation. From here on out, if that’s my role, then I’ll accept it.”

    Cortes is scheduled to start one of the Yankees’ four games next weekend against the Boston Red Sox, but his role going forward is uncertain as New York is set to revert to a five-man starting rotation.

    Cortes, 29, struggled in his most recent start last Sunday, allowing five runs over four innings in a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. But he was outstanding in his previous three starts, yielding only one run while striking out 18 over 20⅔ innings during that stretch.

    Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised Cortes for his performance out of the bullpen, saying it was “a testament to being a professional.”

    “I’m sure he wasn’t thrilled about it this turn around,” Boone said. “But you still got a job to do, and he went and excelled at it.”

    Cortes ultimately could be the Yankees’ odd man out, however, with Schmidt and Luis Gil both returning from the injured list to rejoin a rotation that includes Cole, Carlos Rodon and Marcus Stroman.

    “I have no idea,” Cortes said when asked about his role. “This one caught me by surprise, so we’ll see.

    “I know they told me that I’m starting against Boston, but after that, with a six-man rotation and off days in between, guys are going to get extra days and I don’t think that’s necessarily the right move, so we’ll see.”