LOS ANGELES — Nestor Cortes is risking his health for a shot at Yankees glory.
In doing so, Jon Berti has become the surprise roster victim.
Cortes has been added to the World Series roster and Berti left off, a swap the Yankees announced before the Fall Classic began at Dodger Stadium on Friday night.
The lefty has not pitched in a major league league game since Sept. 18, after which he was diagnosed with a left flexor strain — which can be a precursor to Tommy John surgery.
Cortes was shut down, rehabbed the injury and graduated to the level of a 28-pitch sim game Tuesday.
He is not built up as a starter, but suddenly the Yankees have another good lefty with October experience against a lineup with Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.
They hope Cortes’ decision will not come at a cost.
“We have weighed in the consequences that this can lead up to, but if I have a ring and then a year off of baseball, so be it,” Cortes said this week.
The decision at least had a cost to the 26-man roster.
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The righty-swinging Berti received three spot starts at first base against Kansas City and Cleveland generally against lefty pitching, with the Yankees shielding Anthony Rizzo from opposing southpaws.
The Dodgers do not have a lefty starter, and the Yankees will use switch-hitting Oswaldo Cabrera as the backup infielder for the World Series.
Berti also would have been an effective pinch-runner, but perhaps Cabrera, Jasson Dominguez or Trent Grisham could be used in that role.
There was some speculation that Grisham — who was on the ALDS and ALCS rosters but has not yet appeared in a game — would be held off the roster, but perhaps the Yankees value his potential late-game defense.
The Yankees are carrying 13 position players and 13 pitchers, electing to keep lefty Tim Mayza, long-man Marcus Stroman and righty Mark Leiter Jr. (who replaced Ian Hamilton during the ALCS) around.
