The New York Yankees on Tuesday provided a not-so-encouraging update on injured left-handed starting pitcher Carlos Rodón. In speaking to reporters, manager Aaron Boone disclosed that Rodón still isn't progressing as hoped:
Carlos Rodón’s recovery seems to have stalled. He has thrown from the mound, but still isn’t feeling right. More medical opinions to come. “He can’t get over that final hump,” Aaron Boone said.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) May 2, 2023
Rodón has been laid up since spring training. His initial injury was a forearm strain, but during the recovery process from that injury he began dealing with a back issue, which delayed his progress and eventual return. Since that back concern first cropped up about two weeks ago, Rodón has apparently made little progress. There seems to still be no clear timetable for his activation.
Rodón, 30, joined the Yankees over the winter, signing a six-year pact worth $162 million. He boasts some of the best stuff and rates-based results in all of baseball -- he's pitched to a sparkling 2.67 ERA and 4.80 K/BB ratio over the last two seasons for the White Sox and Giants -- but Rodón's injury concerns have limited his overall value (although he was largely healthy during the 2022 season).
This is of course an unwelcome turn of events for a Yankees team that's presently without Aaron Judge (on the IL with a hip injury) and has lost four straight. Going into Tuesday night's game against the Guardians, the Yankees stand at 15-15 on the season and are in last place in the American League East. As well, they're already 8 1/2 games behind the first-place Rays in the division.
