Yankees Turn to Elmer Rodriguez During Stretch of 16 Straight Games

He made his MLB debut earlier this year

May 5, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Elmer Rodriguez (71) pitches against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

From June 16 to July 1, the New York Yankees are going to end up playing 16 games in a row without a day off. As a result, New York is planning on calling up one of its top prospects to give its starting pitching staff a little extra rest.

Right-hander Elmer Rodríguez is set to start for the Yankees on Sunday, manager Aaron Boone announced after New York's game on Saturday. To make room for the 22-year-old on the active roster, New York optioned reliever Jake Bird to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Rodríguez, the Yankees' No. 2 prospect for 2026 on MLB Pipeline, was called up for his MLB debut at the end of April after posting a 1.27 ERA through his first four Triple-A starts of the year. But so far, in three big league starts, the young righty has a 4.15 ERA with nine walks and only six strikeouts in 13 innings. He also hasn't completed five innings in any of his first three MLB appearances. With 11 more consecutive games coming up, though, New York will likely take however many outs Rodríguez can get on Sunday.

Elmer Rodríguez move could set off a chain reaction for Yankees

New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Lagrange (84) throws against Detroit Tigers during the first inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While calling Rodríguez up to pitch on Sunday will give the Yankees' other starters an extra day of rest, it will likely also have a ripple effect on the bullpen. The 22-year-old is only expected to make one spot start and then return to the minors. And with Bird being sent down to Triple-A to make room for Rodríguez on the active roster, it'd seem like a different reliever will eventually replace the top prospect following his outing.

Several Yankees fans would likely want to see that next move be the promotion of right-hander Carlos Lagrange. The hard-throwing prospect began pitching in relief earlier this month to potentially set the stage for him to join New York's bullpen later this year. And in four Triple-A relief appearances so far, the 23-year-old has a 2.38 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings.

Realistically, the Yankees probably won't pull the trigger on calling up Lagrange quite yet to give him more time to adjust to his new short-term role. Yovanny Cruz or Yerry de los Santos are more likely to be among the options to replace Rodríguez after his start on Sunday.

For now, many New York fans will be looking forward to seeing how Rodríguez performs in his fourth MLB start. After that, though, the Yankees could be in a position to make multiple bullpen moves during this stretch of the schedule. And while it currently seems unlikely, Lagrange technically could be a candidate to make his big league debut soon.