ARLINGTON – Elmer Rodríguez may not have showcased the pinpoint command that has the Yankees envisioning big things ahead, but the right-hander proved he could battle nerves and navigate traffic on Wednesday in his Major League debut, a 3-0 loss to the Rangers at Globe Life Field.
Rated by MLB Pipeline as the Yankees’ No. 3 prospect and baseball’s No. 72 prospect, Rodríguez kept Texas off the scoreboard until the fifth inning, when he loaded the bases with none out. Josh Jung chased Rodríguez with a two-run single to left field.
Rodríguez’s command was sharp through four starts with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he was 1-2 with a 1.27 ERA, permitting just seven walks in 21 1/3 innings. He walked four on Wednesday, including two in the first inning.
The 22-year-old scattered four hits and registered his first of three strikeouts on a first-inning double play, with Jung going down looking and Brandon Nimmo caught stealing.
Rodríguez is the third Yankees starting pitcher in the last 19 seasons (since 2008) to make his Major League debut at age 22 or younger, joining Deivi García (2020) and Luis Severino (2015).
Pitching in front of family members who traveled from Puerto Rico after Rodríguez was informed of his pending callup late on Monday evening, Rodríguez is the fourth Puerto Rican pitcher to start a game for the Yankees, joining Ed Figueroa, Javier Vazquez and Ricky Bones.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone has indicated Rodríguez could remain in the rotation until Carlos Rodón is ready to be activated from his Minor League rehab assignment. Rodón is scheduled to pitch Thursday for Double-A Somerset, then will make at least one more start in the Minors.
“I think this is a kid that’s going to have a long career as a starting pitcher in this league,” Boone said before the game. “He’s got all the weapons. He’s got a big arsenal and the stuff to match it.”