Rodón to make long-awaited '26 debut on Sunday vs. Brewers

MILWAUKEE -- Since his very first rehab outing this year, Carlos Rodón made no bones about how eager he was to get back on a big league mound.

“I’m champing at the bit,” Rodón said after throwing 4 1/3 scoreless innings during his April 24 start with High-A Hudson Valley. It was his first outing since Game 3 of last year's American League Division Series, and a significant step in his recovery from offseason surgery to remove a bone spur in his left elbow.

But that step pales in comparison to what awaits him Sunday at American Family Field.

That’s when Rodón is set to make his season debut in the Yankees’ series finale against the Brewers. It’ll mark the three-time All-Star's first regular-season start since Sept. 25, and it’s a moment he’s undoubtedly been eagerly awaiting.

“I'm going to go out there and compete,” Rodón said Saturday. “I'm not really hanging my hat on seeing if I can still do this. I know I can still do this.”

Rodón completed his rehab assignment on Tuesday, throwing 6 1/3 innings with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Though he allowed six runs (five earned), he threw 83 pitches (49 strikes), ensuring his arm was stretched out enough for his return to the Majors. He made three starts on his assignment, tallying a 3.38 ERA over 16 innings.

It capped a lengthy road to recovery for Rodón, who went under the knife on Oct. 15. The southpaw was unable to throw for eight weeks, delaying his start to the 2026 campaign. The right hamstring tightness he dealt with on March 31 threatened to delay that debut further, but Rodón was able to bounce back quickly and make sure his first start of the season came exactly when he initially planned.

“Every day is much like Groundhog Day, and the days you get on the mound are the days you're excited for,” Rodón said of the rehab process. “It's little things, little increases, little victories every day. And then, eventually, the training wheels come off and everything evens out and everything goes a lot quicker.”

Rodón will return to a pitching staff that has more than held its own in his absence. The Yankees entered Saturday with an American League-best 3.12 team ERA. That includes a 3.09 ERA from their starters, which also sits atop the AL.

Now, add in Rodón, who logged a 3.09 ERA while throwing a career-high 195 1/3 innings in 2025. He finished with 203 strikeouts -- the second time he's topped 200 K’s in his 11-year career. Adding that type of production to a rotation featuring Cam Schlittler and Max Fried would be a cheat code.

Time will determine how quickly Rodón can return to his All-Star form. But he'll make an already imposing Yankees staff even deeper if can even come close to replicating that performance.

His first attempt to do so comes Sunday afternoon, and he's not worried about any limitations he might have once he gets to the mound.

“I'm sure I'll be on some sort of pitch count, but I'm not even gonna ask,” Rodón said. “I’m just gonna go until they take me out.”