Yankees Announce Starting Pitchers for White Sox Series: Can Rodon Stay Perfect vs. His Old Team?

The former Chicago starter looks to improve to 4-0 against the team that drafted him.

The Yankees' Carlos Rodón will aim to remain perfect vs. his old team, the White Sox, this week. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Yankees have been rolling lately, which has played a big role in waking up on Monday as the American League leaders. There's a pep in their step after notching wins in two of their three clashes with the rival Blue Jays this weekend, meaning the Yankees are now 13-5 in their last 18 games heading into Tuesday's series opener against the White Sox at home.

This week will mark the first of two series between these teams this season. Unlike past years, the 2026 White Sox are a legitimate threat, currently tied with the Guardians for the top spot in the AL Central. Conversely, New York dominated Chicago last year, going 6-1 in seven meetings while outscoring the competition 43-18 on aggregate.

Whether the Yankees experience similar success remains to be seen, as the White Sox have more confidence this time around. In the meantime, New York has announced its starting rotation for this week's series at Yankee Stadium, shedding some light on how things could unfold.

Tuesday, June 16 (7:05 p.m. ET): Gerrit Cole (NYY) vs. Davis Martin (CHW)

Does Gerrit Cole have what it takes to outlast Davis Martin on Tuesday? | David Richard-Imagn Images

After facing the Royals and Guardians (twice), Gerrit Cole's streak of AL Central opponents will continue against the White Sox. The former AL Cy Young winner is coming off his shortest performance of the season, having pitched four innings with four strikeouts and two earned runs allowed in the Yankees' 3-2 win over the Guardians last week. Cole wasn't credited with the victory, though, meaning he's still searching for his first win since May 27.

As solid as the White Sox have been, they're still batting .239 vs. righties this season—11th-worst in the majors. That's without mentioning how they've allowed the third-most strikeouts (462) to right-handed pitchers, too. Having said that, Cole's history vs. the White Sox—3-2 with a 4.18 ERA in five starts—has been shaky at best, including a loss in his last meeting against them in August 2023.

Meanwhile, the Yankees have to take on Davis Martin, who currently leads the MLB with nine wins in 13 starts. The former 2018 14th-rounder is having a career year, pitching to a personal-best 2.41 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings, all while averaging a big-league-leading 0.3 home runs per nine innings.

Davis Martin, 82mph Hammer. 🔨 pic.twitter.com/08mb6lJP7t

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 10, 2026

Beating Martin won't be easy, but the silver lining here is that he allowed three ERs on six hits across 4 1/3 innings in his lone trip to Yankee Stadium—good for a 6.23 ERA. In fact, he's winless in three all-time matchups vs. New York, giving manager Aaron Boone & Co. hope that the streak will continue.

With that being said, if both pitchers play up to their potential, we could have a pitching duel on our hands in the opener.

Game 1 advantage: even

Wednesday, June 17 (7:05 p.m. ET): Carlos Rodon (NYY) vs. Anthony Kay (CHW)

Carlos Rodón will aim to continue his winning ways when he takes on the team that drafted him third overall back in 2014. The three-time MLB All-Star pitched his first seven major league seasons with the White Sox, so it's always a big deal whenever he faces them—even if it hasn't gone his old club's way.

Since leaving Chicago half a decade ago, Rodón has gone a perfect 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in three games against the White Sox—all coming in a Yankees jersey. That includes two victories at Yankee Stadium, where the White Sox have lost seven straight visits and haven't won since June 8, 2023.

As for his recent performances, Rodón is 2-0 in his last three games following a 0-2 start to the 2026 season. He's only allowed two homers and five earned runs on 10 hits over 18 innings (2.50 ERA), striking out 17 batters during his ongoing hot streak.

Carlos Rodón hasn't lost since May 21. Will that streak continue against the White Sox? | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Wednesday's contest will be the Yankees' first time facing Anthony Kay since 2022, following his two-year run in Japan. The former Blue Jays hurler has looked great with the White Sox this season, going 6-1 with a 4.34 ERA across 14 appearances (12 starts). He also recorded a season-high seven strikeouts in his last start vs. the Dodgers on Friday and will likely be looking to build on that showing.

Although Kay has been solid, he leads the MLB with 12 batters hit by pitch, indicating some control issues. Opposing batters are also slashing .262/.355/.434 against the veteran lefty, which is above the big-league average (.246/.318/.413).

Throw in the fact that Kay owns a 7.71 ERA in four career games against the Yankees, who lead the majors with a .794 OPS vs. southpaws, and it's easy to like Boone & Co. in this one.

Game 2 advantage: Yankees

Thursday, June 18 (7:05 p.m. ET): Ryan Weathers (NYY) vs. Sean Burke (CHW)

Ryan Weathers's fall from grace wasn't what Yankees fans had on their bingo card. After being a key cog in one of the MLB's best starting rotations, the 26-year-old left-handed starter hasn't won an outing in over a month (May 2). He's been credited with a loss in each of his last three appearances, most recently allowing six earned runs and two homers in Friday's 8-5 loss to the Blue Jays.

Weathers owns a putrid 8.47 ERA in his last trio of starts following that defeat. During that stretch, opponents are batting better (.261) than their expected rate (.245), all with nine barrels and a 45% hard-hit percentage, per Baseball Savant. It's become hard to trust someone who's allowed five-plus earned runs in four of their last five games.

Ryan Weathers's arm isn't as reliable for the Yankees as it once was. Can he turn things around in time for the series finale? | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, the White Sox will be turning to Sean Burke for the series finale. The former Maryland Terrapin is 3-4 with a 4.15 ERA in 14 games (11 starts) so far this season. However, Burke is looking to rebound after giving up four earned runs and five walks in four innings to the Dodgers over the weekend.

Although playing at Yankee Stadium adds pressure to visiting pitchers, Burke has actually been better on the road (3-1, 3.60 ERA in five games) than he has at home (0-3, 4.44 ERA in nine games) this season. He's never pitched in the Bronx, though, so we'll see if his road success can continue after a run-in with the Bombers.

The Yankees winning the finale isn't out of the question, but doing so will be more of an uphill battle with Burke looking good on the road and Weathers seemingly imploding more with each passing outing.

Game 3 advantage: White Sox