A blue spiral notebook with the Yankees’ word “NY” interlocked on the cover rested on Brian Cashman’s lap as the general manager sat in the home dugout at George M. Steinbrenner Field Thursday morning, every line detailed. Inside he represented a new injury concern that would shake up the Opening Day roster.
The highlight is that the left-handed Carlos Rodón, anticipated as the club’s second starter after signing a six-year, $162 million deal last winter, has been diagnosed with a mild left elbow strain and will start the season with the injured. Ready, Cashman said.
“I can go out and perform, but am I doing my best and how long am I going to last the entire season if I continue down this path?” Rodon said. “I’m not here to pitch until the All-Star break. I’m here to pitch well into October and whenever this team needs me. If it’s October 5th or it’s the ALDS, I’ll take the ball. I want to pitch.”
Rodón underwent an MRI Wednesday after experiencing discomfort while throwing sliders during his Grapefruit League debut, in which he allowed five runs over two innings against the Braves in North Port, Fla. and 94 mph. During that outing, Rodon was warned by manager Aaron Boone not to try to build speed.
“I’m glad he said something,” Cashman said. “This could have been so much worse. Try to throw through [las lesiones] not a good thing, especially at this time of year. If this was obviously during the season, the pennant race, at the end of the game, is probably still going on.”
Cashman said Rodon’s strain is brachioradialis and the ulnar collateral ligament is not a concern. Rodón told Cashman that he went through a similar problem last May with the Giants; he won’t pitch for 10 days, starting Thursday.
“It sucks,” Boone said. But sit and wait [el miércoles] at night and then getting the news today, is also a sigh of relief. I don’t think it’s something long term. The timing is better now than at any other time.” «
Right-handers Tommy Kahnle (right biceps tendonitis) and Lou Trivino (mild right elbow ligament sprain) will also begin the season on the disabled list. Triviño’s absence is expected to be longer than Kahnle’s and Rodón’s, Cashman said. Boone later revealed that outfielder Harrison Bader is experiencing discomfort in his left oblique and was sent in for tests.
“In a perfect world,” he said Cashman, Rodón could make his debut with the Yankees sometime in April. An All-Star the past two seasons, Rodón went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA in 31 starts in 2022.
“I hope this happens pretty quickly,” Rodón said. “I can’t put a number on any of this. I feel better than when I pitched against Atlanta, for sure. But as you know, some of these things take time.”
At the signing, Cashman acknowledged the risk of Rodón’s long injury history. He appeared in just 11 games from 2019-20 when he returned from Tommy John surgery, missing significant time from 2017-18 while recovering from left shoulder surgery.
However, Rodón seemed to assuage those concerns by making 55 starts over the past two seasons, going 27-13 with a 2.67 ERA for the White Sox and Giants.
The Yankees are now two fewer starting pitchers, and right-hander Frankie Montas (right shoulder inflammation) is not expected to return until after the All-Star break following arthroscopic surgery in February.
Right-handers Domingo German and Clarke Schmidt, who were thought to be competing for the final spot in the rotation, plan to open the season as starters. Schmidt allowed two runs in three innings Thursday against the Red Sox, and Boone said he believes Schmidt has pitched better than his 8.10 spring ERA would indicate.
“I always wanted the opportunity to be a consistent starter in the big leagues, and I always felt like it would come,” Schmidt said. “I’m just trying to be myself, go out and get outs, and help this team cover a lot of innings.”
