Yankees manager offers update on Carlos Rodon
Eager to make his first start for the Yankees after signing a six-year, $162M deal this offseason, Carlos Rodon received some positive news on the back injury that has kept him sidelined to begin the season.
Rodon experienced discomfort in his back in early April. New York shut him down for a few days before sending him to have a second CT scan; The results came back positive.
Speaking to the media prior to Sunday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, "Hopefully, he continues with the throwing program throughout the week and hopefully the back continues to subside, but I don't think it's anything major structurally from the test."
Having his throwing program pushed back means that Rodon is looking at a mid-June return to the mound.
After making a huge investment in him this past winter, fans are anxiously awaiting to watch the left-hander bring his electric stuff to the mound to complement their ace Gerrit Cole.
From 2021-22, Rodon went 27-13 across 55 starts with a 2.67 ERA and 422 strikeouts over 310 2/3 innings pitched for the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants.
Adding an arm as talented as Rodon's will be crucial for the Yankees as they face the gauntlet that is the American League East.
The Rays are off to one of the hottest starts in the history of baseball at 19-3, but the Yankees are only six games back with a 13-9 record and are more than capable of making up that ground over the course of the season.
With Cole in elite form to begin the season and Nestor Cortes continuing his run of dominance since re-joining the Yankees in 2021, New York is looking to make a push for a World Series title.
If Rodon is anything like he has been the past two seasons, the added punch could be what's needed to take them over the top in 2023.
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