We need to have an uncomfortable conversation about the New York Yankees‘ starting rotation. On paper, it’s a collection of household names; in reality, it’s an orthopedic waiting room. With Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón already ruled out for Opening Day, and Clarke Schmidt likely shelved for the entire 2026 season, the “depth” we keep hearing about is razor-thin.
General Manager Brian Cashman went out and bought a lottery ticket in Ryan Weathers, and while I like the upside, relying on a pitcher who is one wrong step away from the 60-day IL is a terrifying strategy for a team with championship aspirations.
But here is the twist: I don’t think Cashman needs to empty the farm system for another veteran arm. The best insurance policy in the organization isn’t on the trade block; he’s sitting in Triple-A, and his name is Elmer Rodriguez.
The Metrics Scream “Frontline Starter,” Not “Prospect”
If you haven’t been paying attention to what Rodriguez did in the minors last year, you are missing the rise of a legitimate weapon. We aren’t talking about a kid throwing 80 innings and getting baby-faced treatment. Rodriguez was a workhorse, tossing 150.0 innings across three levels, proving he has the durability this current rotation desperately lacks.
The numbers under the hood are what convince me he is ready for the Bronx right now. In Double-A Somerset—the proving ground for real prospects—he posted a stellar 2.93 ERA and struck out 10.86 batters per nine innings. He misses bats at an elite clip, but unlike so many young power arms, he doesn’t walk the ballpark, maintaining a manageable 2.64 BB/9.
The Ground Ball Rate Is the “Yankee Stadium Cheat Code”
Here is the stat that should have Yankees fans salivating: 59.5%. That was Rodriguez’s ground ball rate in Double-A last season. In a stadium with a short porch in right field, keeping the ball on the ground is survival. Rodriguez doesn’t just survive; he suppresses damage. When you combine a “deep bag” of pitches that generates whiffs with a sinker profile that breaks bats, you have a pitcher tailor-made for playoff baseball in New York.
Cashman recently hinted at his confidence in the internal options, and I’m convinced he was talking specifically about Rodriguez.
“We’re going to continue to evaluate all choices that come our way,” Cashman said. “But I do think we have a lot of quality choices at the very least that we can fall back on if we do nothing more. But the job at hand is to see if we can improve in any aspect of the roster we can and we’ll continue to look at that.”
Weathers Is the Gamble, Rodriguez Is the Conviction
Ryan Weathers is the shiny new toy, but he’s a history of medical red flags. Rodriguez is the ascending asset with arguably the best arsenal in the entire system. He proved he could handle the workload, he proved he could miss bats, and he proved he could keep the ball in the yard. If the Yankees need a starter in April—and looking at Cole’s rehab calendar, they definitely will—Elmer Rodriguez isn’t just a backup plan. He might just be the breakout star of 2026.
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