What Does Carlos Rodon's Return Mean for Yankees' Starting Rotation

Before the New York Yankees hit the field on Tuesday evening against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, the Bronx Bombers and their fans received some great news regarding their starting rotation.

On Monday, YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits reported that left-handed starter Carlos Rodón will start against the Orioles on Tuesday after being on the injured list since early July with left elbow inflammation. This is huge news for the Yankees’ rotation as they now have their top four starters healthy and back in action.

LHP Carlos Rodon will start tomorrow for the #yankees
— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) August 17, 2026

Right-handed pitcher Will Warren, who has struggled this month to a 7.71 ERA, was scheduled to pitch the series opener. But now his future is up in the air, as the Yankees will have to decide whether to put him or Ryan Weathers in the bullpen. More on that later.

As for Rodón, he completed a rehab assignment in the minor leagues, pitching at Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes/Barre.

In his first outing on Aug. 8 at Double-A, the southpaw threw 42 pitches in 2.2 innings. He surrendered three hits, three earned runs (a home run), two walks, and struck out four. From there, Rodón was moved up to Triple-A, where he threw a little bit more, totaling 65 pitches in 4.1 innings on Aug. 13.

The veteran starter was dominant in what would be his final rehab start. He allowed two hits, a walk, and struck out seven. Rodón also had 13 swinging strikes, which is an improvement from his rehab start (eight swinging strikes).

That being said, it will be interesting to see how long Rodon goes in his first major league start off the IL? And this is where Weathers and Warren come into play.

Is Ryan Weathers or Will Warren the odd man out with Rodon’s return?

If the Yankees put Rodón on a pitch count against the O’s and he only goes four or five innings, there’s a chance we could see Warren in a piggyback role coming out of the bullpen.

The Yankees have used the 27-year-old Warren out of the bullpen earlier this season. In the second game of a doubleheader on July 22 against the Pirates, the right-handed hurler was brought in for the ninth inning to help close things out, where he pitched 0.2 innings, allowing a hit and a walk.

Warren wasn’t credited with the save, as Tim Hill came in for the final. However, it seemed as if the right-handed pitcher enjoyed the experience.

"As a starter, I feel like I’m being crafty and pitching a little more than just the blacked-out adrenaline, throwing as hard as I can in the ninth," Warren said (h/t Peter Sblendorio of the New York Daily News). “It was definitely different, but I liked it."

That might be his new role going forward: a reliever. As of right now, Warren can’t be trusted as a starter. He’s been lit up this month, with opponents hitting .333 off him. Now, that’s not to say he can’t implode as a reliever, but at most, he’ll only have one inning to do so.

Ahead of Rodón’s return, some fans thought Weathers, who actually has reliever experience, could be thrown into the bullpen. However, the 26-year-old southpaw has been pitching out of his mind this month, boasting a 0.95 ERA through three starts.

And even in July, Weathers pitched much better than Warren, posting a 1-1 record and 3.71 ERA in five starts. Warren, on the other hand, had a 1-2 record and a 5.47 ERA over six appearances (five starts).

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