Yankees opt for Nestor Cortes’ pitching depth on World Series roster over Jon Berti’s defense

LOS ANGELES — Nestor Cortes is risking his health for a changeable astatine Yankees glory.

In doing so, Jon Berti has go nan astonishment roster victim.

Cortes has been added to nan World Series roster and Berti near off, a switch nan Yankees announced earlier nan Fall Classic began astatine Dodger Stadium connected Friday night.

Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes (65) throws a transportation during nan first inning astatine Yankee Stadium, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Corey Sipkin for nan NY POST

The lefty has not sounded successful a awesome convention league crippled since Sept. 18, aft which he was diagnosed pinch a near flexor strain — which tin beryllium a precursor to Tommy John surgery.

Cortes was unopen down, rehabbed nan wounded and graduated to nan level of a 28-pitch sim crippled Tuesday.

He is not built up arsenic a starter, but abruptly nan Yankees person different bully lefty pinch October acquisition against a lineup pinch Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.

They dream Cortes’ determination will not travel astatine a cost.

Yankees first baseman Jon Berti (19) tosses to first during nan sixth inning against nan Cleveland Guardians. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

“We person weighed successful nan consequences that this tin lead up to, but if I person a ringing and past a twelvemonth disconnected of baseball, truthful beryllium it,” Cortes said this week.

The determination astatine slightest had a costs to nan 26-man roster.

Follow The Post’s sum of nan Yankees successful nan postseason:

• Aaron Judge tin free himself of Dodger Stadium and playoff demons successful 1 fell swoop
• Sherman: Gerrit Cole pitching for his Yankees — and shot — legacy
• Heyman: Dodgers had to return a chance nan Yankees couldn’t stomach
• Yankees outfielder has other World Series motivation: ‘I was upset’

The righty-swinging Berti received 3 spot starts astatine first guidelines against Kansas City and Cleveland mostly against lefty pitching, pinch nan Yankees shielding Anthony Rizzo from opposing southpaws.

The Dodgers do not person a lefty starter, and nan Yankees will usage switch-hitting Oswaldo Cabrera arsenic nan backup infielder for nan World Series.

Berti besides would person been an effective pinch-runner, but possibly Cabrera, Jasson Dominguez aliases Trent Grisham could beryllium utilized successful that role.

There was immoderate speculation that Grisham — who was connected nan ALDS and ALCS rosters but has not yet appeared successful a crippled — would beryllium held disconnected nan roster, but possibly nan Yankees worth his imaginable late-game defense.

The Yankees are carrying 13 position players and 13 pitchers, electing to support lefty Tim Mayza, long-man Marcus Stroman and righty Mark Leiter Jr. (who replaced Ian Hamilton during nan ALCS) around.