The New York Yankees have held up fine in their first run through the starting rotation, but that rotation is still missing Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon. The Yankees are hoping to get both of them back soon, but the injured southpaw is now dealing with another ailment.
Rodon was gearing up for a return at some point in April, but manager Aaron Boone revealed a new development about the former All-Star pitcher on Tuesday. According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Boone said that Rodon felt some tightness in his right hamstring on Tuesday while progressing through his throwing program.
The timing is awful, as Rodon was scheduled to make a rehab start with the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate. He had tossed 50 pitches in a live batting practice session recently, which is the biggest step forward he’s taken since having an offseason procedure to remove bone chips from his elbow.
Boone didn’t offer much more than the new injury, saying, “We’ll see what we have there.” If Rodon is set to miss more time, the Yankees might have to get creative because the current rotation isn’t meant to be a long-term solution, and hamstring injuries can linger for pitchers.
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Rodon was originally expected to return to the big leagues in May, but he was ahead of schedule in his recovery and throwing program, moving his expected return date up to April. If the hamstring injury is an issue, the best-case scenario would be that it holds Rodon out until May, as the team had originally planned.
Cole is still recovering and could return in the coming months, while Clarke Schmidt is also out recovering from Tommy John surgery. Boone rolled out a four-man rotation to start the season, relying on youngsters Cam Schlittler and Will Warren to hold down the middle of the rotation.
Rodon put together a solid season in 2025, making a career-high 33 starts and posting a 3.06 ERA over 195.1 innings, but struggled in the postseason. The Yankees should have more news soon, but the hope is the left-hander can still return soon.