Injuries deprived star pitcher Carlos Rodon Jr. of time on the mound and the ability to play up to his standard for the New York Yankees in 2023, but Rodon is committed to showing he still has All-Star stuff next season.
Rodon Jr. did not cry about his down year or seek sympathy when reflecting on what contributed to his deceased output, rather stating that he is ready to put the baseball world on notice with his performance against opposing offenses, saying this per Greg Joyce of the New York Post:
“I just feel like I got some stuff to prove and I want to stay on the field a lot longer than I did last year,” Rodon Jr. asserted.
Yankees: Rodon Jr. was plagued with injuries and lackluster play in 2023
Rodon Jr. suffered a left forearm injury in last year’s Spring Training which got him off on the wrong foot. A back ailment last July lingered until August, costing him starts before a hamstring injury plagued him at the tail end of the year.
Last season, Rodon Jr. only made 11 starts in Pinstripes, posting an underwhelming 3-8 record along with a spiked 6.85 ERA. This starkly contrasted with the combined 27-13 record, 2.67 ERA, and 422 strikeouts he produced between 2021 and 2022 for the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants that earned him two consecutive All-Star nods.
Yankees looking forward to a strong and healthy Spring Training from Rodon Jr.
The Yankees were expecting more from Rodon Jr. but the bright side is that he’s had the off-season to recuperate and has been able to throw thus far leading up to pitchers and catchers’ first workout on Feb. 15, followed by the team’s first full-squad workout on Feb. 20 and their Grapefruit league opener against the Detroit Tigers on Feb. 24, as Brian Hoch of MLB.com laid out.
Rodon Jr. will use this time to get in game shape and overcome the litany of injuries that plagued him last season.