The New York Yankees are getting another big piece of their rotation back, as All-Star left-hander Carlos Rodón will return from the injured list and start Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles, the team announced Monday.
Rodón's last big-league start was June 28, five days before he was placed on the IL with elbow inflammation.
The 33-year-old returns after making two minor-league rehab starts over the last week. He struck out seven while allowing just two hits on 54 pitches over 4 1/3 innings in his final rehab outing Thursday for Double-A Somerset.
Rodón is essentially going to continue his buildup in the majors and will have someone pitch behind him in a piggyback role, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. The Yankees have not said who will piggyback Rodón, but Will Warren had been scheduled to start Tuesday and would be an ideal candidate to follow him.
Rodón threw more than 170 innings in both 2024 and '25, but that workload came at a cost. Rodón's recovery from offseason elbow surgery, along with a hamstring injury sustained during spring training, delayed his 2026 debut until early May. He's made just nine starts this year, posting a 3.30 ERA, 3.43 FIP, and 1.25 WHIP with 52 strikeouts and 26 walks.
Rodón's return will provide yet another boost to a Yankees team that sits second in the AL East but has been treading water at .500 in August. If healthy, he'll give New York a formidable foursome in the rotation alongside Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and this year's AL Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler.
Rodón, now in the fourth season of a six-year, $162-million contract with the Yankees, enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career in 2025 when he put up a 3.09 ERA with 203 strikeouts. He finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting last year, the third time in his 12-year career that he's garnered Cy Young consideration.
