The New York Yankees are eagerly waiting for Carlos Rodón’s to get back to the mound after an offseason surgery has left the club without one of their best arms. As Spring Training rolls on, Rodón gets closer and closer to making his triumphant return.
The Yankees left-hander had surgery at the very beginning of the offseason to shave down a bone spur and remove loose bodies from his throwing arm. Last month, after reporting to Spring Training, he revealed that the injury was so severe that he couldn’t bend his arm or button a shirt.
Now, Rodón is on his way back to full health. He’s thrown two live bullpen sessions and told insider Greg Joyce that there’s been a surprising learning curve as he gets back to the mound.
Carlos Rodón Shares What Most Surprised Him in Live Batting Practice
“I backed off and threw harder,” Rodón said, per the New York Post Sports. “I was like, ‘OK, that makes no sense.’ But it made it easier to command. It’s just little ins and outs of pitching, trying to find the stroke again, knowing how much effort in this pitch and the line of this pitch. It takes a little time.”
According to Joyce, Rodón topped off at 95 MPH during his most recent session, and hopes to build his velocity up even more as his recovery progresses. He won’t be available for the Yankees on Opening Day, but the hope is that he’ll return by the end of April or early in May.
Until then, Max Fried will lead the Pinstripes’ pitching rotation, followed by second-year fan favorite Cam Schlittler, 2024 Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, Will Warren and new addition Ryan Weathers. The rotation will grow stronger when Rodón is able to make his return, and stronger still when Gerrit Cole recovers from Tommy John surgery and is back by the end of May.
“Excited where he’s at,” manager Aaron Boone said of Rodón’s progress. “He’s really probably not that far behind. He’s responded well to everything. We haven’t rushed anything with him. There were a lot of bullpens in there as he was kind of working through the kinks and stuff like that before we got him to lives. But he’s trending in a good way.”
Last season, Rodón won 18 games out of 33 starts for the Yankees, second only to Fried, who lead the league with 19 wins. He posted a 3.09 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in the regular season, which increased to a disappointing 9.72 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in two postseason games. Hopefully, now that the bone spur and loose bodies are no longer an issue, Rodón can help his team get back to the postseason and even further, to their 30th World Series title.
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