Yankees Manager Explains Strange Pitching Decision

The New York Yankees made a surprising decision this weekend to start pitcher Ryan Yarbrough for their third game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, opting to stick with the predetermined pitching rotation instead of jumping to Carlos Rodón, who has been on a hot streak.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone explained that he thought it best for Rodón to receive the extra rest that he'll receive by not playing until Tuesday, according to Randy Miller of NJ.com.

“Rodón coming off a deep one the other day, we just felt like it was probably the best and that puts him in line to go Tuesday and Sunday,” Boone said. “And obviously Yarbrough is throwing the ball really well, so we just felt like this was the best plan.”

While Rodón would have had a customary four days rest between his last outing vs. the Los Angeles Angels and Sunday's game, he threw a whopping 105 pitches in New York's win against the Angels. Boone said this output during Rodón's last game also contributed to the decision to rest him, despite the struggles the Yankees faced the previous two games.

“Rodon coming off a deep one the other day, we just felt like it was probably the best and that puts him in line to go Tuesday and Sunday,” Boone said. “And obviously Yarbrough is throwing the ball really well, so we just felt like this was the best plan.”

Though the Yankees won Sunday night's game with Yarbrough, avoiding a full series sweep, their overall performance against Los Angeles was disappointing. They lost the first game of the series 8-5 and gave up a startling 18 runs during the second, leading to a final score of 18-2. The only two runs scored on Saturday by the Pinstripes were two separate home runs from captain Aaron Judge.

Rodón has put up some great numbers for the Yankees so far in 2025, boasting a 2.60 ERA in 72.2 innings pitched across 12 starts. He'll be on the mound next against the Cleveland Guardians this week at home from Yankee Stadium.

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