Carlos Rodon's Rehab Start Shows One Sign He's Due for Big Year With the Yankees

Carlos Rodón took the mound for the Somerset Patriots and the Yankees should be hopeful seeing that their big lefty looked more like his old self.

Carlos Rodón just gave Yankees fans a big reason to believe in his outlook. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Fans and experts expected that the New York Yankees would be without Gerrit Cole to start the year. The surprise was Carlos Rodón, who had been pitching with loose bodies in his elbow and had a bone spur that needed shaving down. The resulting surgery meant that he, too, would be missing the beginning of 2026.

Despite missing two of their big horses, the Yankees navigated their absences better than anybody could have imagined. The Yankees currently lead the league in starter ERA (2.74) to begin May. Their 4.6 WAR, according to Fangraphs, is also first. Adding Rodón makes an already stacked starter group led by Max Fried and Cam Schlittler even more elite.

The Yankees' starting rotation has been a strength, thanks to stellar performances from arms like Cam Schlittler. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

It does seem likely that Rodón will be back before Cole. In his most recent rehab start with Double-A Somerset, He generated 15 swings and misses. He struck out eight and allowed one earned run in 5 1/3 innings. After the game, he was asked by reporters whether he felt he was close to his big-league return.

"I feel close," Rodón said, according to SNY Yankees on X. "I'm not going to say no, obviously. I want to be pitching for my boys up there and try to win ball games. I'm ready when they tell me and need me."

Carlos Rodon's early rehab results are a great sign

More important than how many earned runs Rodón allowed is the number of whiffs he induced. That is the strongest indication that the Yankees may get the version of Rodón who was one of the majors' best left-handed starters last year upon his return.

The reason the Yankees signed him to that big deal in the first place before the 2023 season was his ability to pummel batters with his fastball and slider. In 310 2/3 innings between the White Sox and Giants before coming to New York, Rodón had an outrageous 12.23 per nine innings. He has yet to strike out batters at that clip while with the Yankees, but seeing him mow down batters the way he did felt like the Rodón of old.

Carlos Rodon pitched into the sixth inning and struck out 8️⃣ batters in his second MLB rehab start.

5.1 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 8 K
75 pitches | 51 strikes pic.twitter.com/lYeUIGm2C4

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) May 1, 2026

The Yankees currently have an 8.88 K/9, which is eighth in the league, and if Rodón gets the whiffs he did while in Somerset, an already-great rotation can add another category they're elite at. They can bump that number up to nine with Rodón.

Plus, all the teams ahead of them in that category have rotations performing poorly. The Astros have a 10 K/9 with a 5.56 starter ERA. They're first in the league. The Rangers have a 9.82 K/9. They have a 3.90 ERA. Rodón has a shot to give the Yankees a rotation of more well-rounded strikeout artists.

Configuring the rotation

What to do with Rodón once he's back is probably one of the easier moves for manager Aaron Boone this year. That was especially the case when they optioned Luis Gil to Triple-A, and he struggled.

It does feel like, even if Elmer Rodriguez throws a no-hitter in his next appearance and strikes out 20 like he's Ron Guidry in '78, Rodón will still be taking his place. Even in a world where Cole doesn't exist, Rodón puts an already great rotation over the top, and if he's close to his 2025 numbers, it's hard to see how anybody tops them in the American League.

Last season, Rodón pitched to a 3.09 ERA in 195 1/3 innings pitched. His 97th percentile 28 Pitching Run Value, according to Baseball Savant, was one of the best in the sport. Hopefully, that's the player the Yankees get when he makes his eventual return.