With the lights a little brighter and the pressure dialed up, Carlos Rodón took the mound on Opening Day in the Bronx and did exactly what the Yankees needed him to do—set the tone.
Rodón, now the de facto ace with Gerrit Cole out for the year and Luis Gil shelved for months, leaned into the challenge like a seasoned pro, delivering 5.1 innings of quality work in a 4–1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
No Cole? No Problem—Rodón Steps Up
There’s no sugarcoating the Yankees’ rotation situation. Gerrit Cole’s elbow injury sent shockwaves through the clubhouse, and with Luis Gil nursing a longer-term issue, the Yankees needed someone to rise into that leadership role atop the staff.
Rodón looked the part.
He gave up just one earned run on four hits, striking out seven over 89 pitches. His command was sharp, he worked both sides of the plate, and he kept the Brewers off balance with a fresh wrinkle in his pitch mix—a new sinker.
A New Tool in the Belt
Adding a sinker to his arsenal might not sound like headline material, but for Rodón, it changes the game. Last year, he struggled at times with keeping the ball on the ground, managing just a 33.8% ground ball rate. The sinker could help shift that narrative.
While it didn’t light up the radar gun, the sinker flashed decent arm-side movement and lived low in the zone—exactly where it needs to be. It’s a contact-management pitch, one that can induce those soft grounders and bail Rodón out of tight spots when he’s not going for the punchout.
He paired the sinker with his traditional mix of fastballs, sliders, and a handful of well-placed curveballs, giving hitters a much different look than they’ve been used to from him.
Flashes of the Dominant Version
Rodón’s 2024 season was a bit of a rollercoaster—175 innings of good, bad, and everything in between. His 3.96 ERA and strong strikeout numbers (10.03 K/9) showed what he’s capable of when everything clicks. But the inconsistency kept him from truly ascending into elite status.
On Thursday, though, he looked like a pitcher ready to take that next step. Seven strikeouts. Just two walks. And maybe most importantly—he escaped a couple of tricky innings without implosion, something that haunted him during stretches last year.
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Building Momentum
For a Yankees team that came into the season with questions swirling around the rotation, this was exactly the kind of start they needed. A veteran pitcher adjusting on the fly, trusting his stuff, and giving his team a real shot to win.
Rodón won’t replace Gerrit Cole. But if he can keep trending in this direction, he might not have to.