Rodón's recovery a wild card in Yanks' pitching plans
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NEW YORK -- The Yankees believed in the strength of their rotation going into the postseason, voicing optimism that their starting pitchers could go toe-to-toe with most any staff in baseball.
October hasn’t even ended, and that outlook already comes with a qualifier. True, the Yankees’ starting five might be formidable by this time next year, but Carlos Rodón’s recovery from left elbow surgery has tossed a wrinkle into their plans.
Rodón underwent a procedure to remove loose bodies and shave down a bone spur following the Bombers’ elimination in the American League Division Series, as general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone announced last week at Yankee Stadium.
There were plenty of other topics covered in that news conference -- Aaron Judge’s outlook as he aims to avoid a procedure on his right elbow, Anthony Volpe’s recovery from left labrum surgery, the club’s interest in retaining Cody Bellinger -- but Rodón’s situation registered as something of a surprise.
Given that development, could the Yankees explore the outside starting pitching market?
“I’ll be honest: I don’t know,” Cashman said. “Certainly, the last two years have been really good for us with Carlos. He’s done a great job. Unfortunately, with surgery to get some cleanup on that, it’ll have you start the season late. So he’ll start the season on the IL.
“He’ll be ready either sometime in April or early May, at the latest, as long as there’s no other issues that pop up in between.”
Rodón’s final outing of the season came in Game 3 of the ALDS against Toronto. He was tagged for six runs in 2 1/3 innings. The 32-year-old lefty finished the regular season 18-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 33 starts, and Cashman indicated the elbow issue did not surface until late in the year.
“If this presser was three weeks ago, I wouldn’t have had surgery on my mind for Carlos Rodón,” Cashman said. “But it’s also not surprising, considering the job that he does.”
The Yankees said Rodón will not throw for eight weeks and will be delayed “potentially a couple of weeks” to begin the season, according to Boone.
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Coupled with ongoing Tommy John surgery recoveries for Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt, the Yanks suddenly find themselves short on reliable starters for Opening Day.
“Gerrit’s doing well,” Boone said. “At some point in Spring Training, hopefully, we’ll see him on the mound, starting to face live hitters and start that progression. I wouldn’t say Opening Day, but, hopefully, not too far after it.”
Max Fried is projected to open 2026 atop the rotation. Coming off a sharp pinstriped debut in which he went 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA in 32 starts, Fried delivered exactly what the Yankees had hoped for after his arrival from Atlanta last winter, stabilizing the staff when Cole was lost during the spring.
Now, he’ll be tasked with doing it again.
“I don’t know what [Rodón’s injury] means to where we put our remaining resources in and how we reinforce,” Cashman said. “Do we have enough from within? Do we go outside to augment? You never have enough pitching.
“The good thing is, he’s coming back. So I have to make sure there’s room on that roster when he does so.”
Behind Fried, the Yankees expect Cam Schlittler to follow up on his impressive rookie campaign. The 6-foot-6 right-hander made a thunderous postseason impression, striking out 12 over eight scoreless innings to eliminate Boston in the Wild Card Series, looking every bit the part of a future stalwart.
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Will Warren and Luis Gil are also positioned to battle for rotation spots. Warren had uneven results despite tying Rodón for the team lead with 33 starts, while Gil struggled with command after returning from injury. Both could be asked to provide bulk innings until the rotation stabilizes.
Down on the farm, Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz are among the organization’s most touted Minor League arms and should get long looks during Spring Training. Another name to know is Brendan Beck, who finished last year at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and was 13-5 with a 3.36 ERA in 26 games (24 starts) across two levels.
As for free agency, there are many within the organization who would welcome a reunion with Michael King, who thrived before being traded to the Padres in December 2023. Other notable names in the class include Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez and Jack Flaherty.
A more realistic option if the money doesn’t work? The Yankees could try to retain Ryan Yarbrough, who filled multiple roles effectively last season or bring in a similar swingman type.
“All I know,” Boone said, “is it’s time to dust ourselves off and try to build another club that puts us in position to take a run again.”