Elmer Rodríguez is being rather stingy on the mound at Triple-A, and the kicker is he's using a wide assortment of pitches to do so.
The Yankees' No. 3 prospect, who has allowed just three earned runs over 21 1/3 innings this season, turned in another solid start Wednesday for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Rodríguez allowed a run on three hits and a walk while striking out a season-high seven in 5 2/3 frames in the RailRiders' 2-0 loss to Rochester at PNC Field.
MLB's No. 72 prospect utilized his full arsenal, turning to his fastball, slider and sinker throughout the start. Rodríguez's 60-grade fastball sat in the mid-90s and topped out at 95.9 mph, generating a 50 percent chase rate.
Rodríguez's mid-90s sinker flashed good run, averaging 16.6 inches of horizontal break (the MLB average is around 15-17). The offering's armside movement has helped the 22-year-old righty induce soft contact and keep the ball on the ground, as he sports a 55.6 percent ground-ball rate in 2026.
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Rodríguez's 1.27 ERA ranks 12th among hurlers who have pitched at least 10 innings in the International League this season. This comes on the heels of a '25 campaign in which he posted a 54.5 percent ground-ball rate (tops among all Yankees Minor Leaguers with at least 50 IP) and allowed just three homers.
The most effective offering of his outing, though, was the Puerto Rico native's slider. It generated four whiffs and a 36.4 percent chase rate on the night. Sitting in the mid-80s, it flashed good two-plane tilt, and this year has flummoxed hitters en route to a 40 percent whiff rate.
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While thrown just 10 times on Wednesday, Rodríguez's 55-grade curveball has also been a plus offering for him. The mid-70s spinner checks in just behind the slider in terms of swing-and-miss on the year with a 38.1 percent whiff rate.
Rodríguez has done well to build off a 2025 campaign in which the 6-foot-4, 177-pounder rose from High-A Hudson Valley to Triple-A. Last season, he ranked second in all of Minor League Baseball with 176 strikeouts and eighth in ERA (2.58). His 29 percent K rate marked a career high.
Rodríguez's stuff has taken a step forward since then with both the four-seamer and the sinker now getting into the upper 90s, topping out at 99 mph. Part of that can be attributed to Rodríguez continuing to fill out his frame. Despite his size and long arms, the 2021 fourth-round selection's motion has been repeatable.
Over his last 21 starts dating back to last year, Rodríguez sports a 2.07 ERA, a 2.64 FIP, and a 28.6 percent K rate against just an 8.9 percent BB rate.