Carlos Rodon spoke about some hamstring tightness that he sustained early in the week before the Yankees' home opener against the Miami Marlins on Friday.
The New York Yankees left-hander called his recent tightness “a bump in the road” on Friday and said he hopes to throw from a mound Saturday. If that session goes well, his next step could be a rehab assignment (h/t Bryan Hoch of MLB.com).
The 33-year-old has been on the injured list since the start of the season, recovering from October elbow surgery that removed a bone spur and bone chips from his left elbow. He had been ahead of schedule in his recovery and was targeting an April return before hamstring tightness surfaced during a running workout on Tuesday.
He had already thrown 50 pitches across three innings in a live batting practice session before the setback.
The fact that no imaging has been ordered and Rodon has continued to throw through the issue are both encouraging signs. He is targeting a return around late April and May, assuming everything goes right beginning with Saturday's mound session.
When he does return, the upgrade to New York’s rotation will be substantial. Rodon was one of the best pitchers in the American League last season, posting a 3.09 ERA across a career-high 33 starts while striking out 203 batters. He earned his third career All-Star selection and finished sixth in AL Cy Young Award voting. He remains under contract through 2028 on his six-year, $162 million deal.
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The Yankees have managed well without a fully stacked rotation, missing out on Rodon and Gerrit Cole, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery. They are 5-1 through six games, with the Yankees' starting rotation combining for a 0.53 ERA, the lowest by a team's starting rotation through the first six games of the season in MLB history. Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, Max Fried, and Ryan Weathers have all held their own in filling the void.
A healthy Rodon changes the ceiling of this rotation completely. With Cole also targeting a return in late spring, the back half of New York's season could look very different from the front. The Yankees are already one of the best teams in the early going, and adding Rodon back raises the stakes for the rest of the American League, especially as they chase a 28th World Series championship.
Saturday’s mound session is the next hurdle. For now, Rodon’s optimism is the best news Yankees fans could have asked for heading into the weekend’s home opener in the Bronx.
