New York Yankees Manager Has Encouraging Message for Key Starting Pitcher

This New York Yankees' tenure has not gone as planned after signing a huge free agent contract, but manager Aaron Boone sees better days ahead for the lefty.

Oct 14, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) pitches during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians in game one of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

When the New York Yankees signed left-handed starting pitcher Carlos Rodón before the 2023 season, the team thought they were getting the sort of upper-echelon starter they had lacked behind ace Gerrit Cole since he joined the team in 2020.

Instead of Cole and Rodón forming an elite one-two punch, the latter has faltered, and the Yankees were left with no choice but to spend big on another coveted southpaw hurler in free agency this year, bringing in Max Fried from the Atlanta Braves.

But make no mistake, Rodón is still a key cog in the Yankees' starting rotation, and his ability to stay healthy and pitch well this season will be crucial in the team's pursuit of returning to the World Series — and this time, winning it.

"I'm just really proud of the routine he's developed & the work ethic he's put behind it..."

Aaron Boone on Carlos Rodón pic.twitter.com/WYnKOs2JyC

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) February 12, 2025

Speaking to the media in Tampa on Wednesday after another day following the arrival of pitchers and catchers to the team's Spring Training facility, New York manager Aaron Boone delivered a vote of confidence in Rodón.

"I think he's developed such a solid routine," Boone said to reporters on Wednesday in Tampa, Fla., including the YES Network. "I think there's a lot of trust and a lot of knowledge now of the group that he's walking into, and he leaned into that last offseason. [I'm] just really proud of the routine he has developed and the work ethic he has put behind it... I feel like he's in a really good spot now."

Boone's reference to last offseason is an acknowledgement of the improvement Rodón displayed in his second year in pinstripes. In 2023, he was hit around for a 6.85 ERA while making just 14 starts and struggling to stay healthy.

Last year, while the NC State alum did not quite live up to the hopes the team initially had for him, he still managed to be a productive member of New York's pitching staff.

Rodón made 32 starts in the 2024 campaign, and his 3.96 ERA was a marked improvement on where he was a year prior. He also regained some of the swing-and-miss ability that made him so successful in 2021 and 2022 with the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants, when he struck out over 12 batters per nine innings in consecutive years.

His 195 punchouts over 175 innings did not quite approach those lofty heights, but they still cemented him as a pitcher who can put batters away without the ball going into play with regularity.

Now, with Cole and Fried locked into the top two spots in the rotation, the pressure on Rodón to perform at an elite level has subsided, and he can focus on being a reliably effective pitcher every fifth game with the knowledge that his manager has confidence that he can be what the team needs.