New York Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodón returned to game action on Saturday, making a minor league rehab start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre against the Rochester Red Wings at PNC Field, according to thetimes-tribune.com. Rodón had been sidelined since late June due to left elbow inflammation, an absence that interrupted a season already shaped by physical setbacks.
Carlos Rodón Takes First Step in Minor League Rehab Assignment
During Saturday’s outing, Rodón pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four batters. He threw 48 pitches, with 29 resulting in strikes, hitting his predetermined pitch target before being pulled. Rochester’s offense touched the left-hander early, starting with a leadoff home run by Seaver King on Rodón’s third pitch of the evening. After settling down to retire the side in the second inning, Rodón ran into trouble in the third, yielding a two-run triple to Phillip Glasser before finishing his night.
It feels good; it feels normal,
Rodón said before taking the mound, as reported by MLB. Following the game, he added, It was good to get back on the mound and compete. The goal was to get out there and get 48 pitches in. So I’m happy with how I feel. Barring the results, I just feel good about how I came out of the game.
Building Up Pitch Count and Evaluating Next Steps
Rodón’s path back to the major league rotation remains under review by the ESPN coaching staff. Yankees manager Aaron Boone noted that the veteran southpaw could make another minor league rehab start to build up his pitch count, or the club could elect to insert him into the big-league pitching staff immediately under a managed workload.
Boone indicated that the team is considering a piggyback
role for Rodón upon his return, a strategy the organization recently utilized with Max Fried following his recovery from a bruised left elbow. Under that framework, a returning starter shares pitching duties or follows another arm to gradually stretch out his stamina.
I think he’s close to 50, not quite 50 pitches tomorrow, and I think we’ll definitely, probably piggyback him at some point,
Boone said. It’s just do we have him do one more and then do the piggyback at whatever pitch count he’s at. That’s the most likely right now.
An Interrupted Season for the Yankees Left-Hander
The 2026 campaign has presented continuous hurdles for Rodón, who is in the fourth season of a six-year, $162 million contract. He missed the first month of the season recovering from October 15 surgery to remove loose bodies and shave a bone spur in his left elbow, followed by a spring training hamstring tightness setback.
After debuting on May 10, Rodón struggled through his first three starts before finding his rhythm, going 4-0 with a 2.97 ERA across his next six outings. Overall, he carries a 4-2 record and a 3.30 ERA across nine starts this year. He was placed on the 15-day injured list on July 3—retroactive following a June 28 appearance against the abc7ny.com—after experiencing a slight drop in velocity and receiving platelet-rich plasma injections.
Despite the interruptions, Rodón expressed optimism that the downtime could leave him physically refreshed for the stretch run. The Yankees’ rotation currently features Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Ryan Weathers, and Will Warren as the team navigates workload management and roster adjustments down the stretch.
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