The New York Yankees are eyeing the return of Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole to form a strong rotation, and they could be getting one of those pieces back sooner rather than later.
Rodon, who underwent surgery in his throwing elbow to fix a bone spur, has been rehabbing this winter and is already back to throwing on a mound according to manager Aaron Boone.
“He’s already well into his mound progression, we’re not going to rush him back obviously…but I don’t expect it to be too long”
Aaron Boone mentioned this on MLB Network Radio where he discussed the latest updates on Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole, noting that their progress would not cause the Yankees to speed up their return.
Late April and early May is the targeted return time for Rodon, who was integral to their success last season as the no. 2 starter behind Max Fried.
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Carlos Rodon Is Progressing Well, Yankees Remain Cautious With His Return
The news of a UCL tear for Gerrit Cole put pressure on everyone in that Yankees’ rotation, but Carlos Rodon arguably had more to prove than anybody in the starting five.
He had to shoulder the pressure of being a no. 2 starter for the Yankees after two years of inconsistency in the Bronx, and Rodon would respond with an All-Star season.
Setting career-highs in starts (33) and innings pitched (195.1), Carlos Rodon pitched to a 3.09 ERA with 203 strikeouts as he was one of the best pitchers in the American League.
With news of his rehab process going well, the Yankees could potentially get him back in the earlier range of that timeline for return and put an important piece back into their rotation.
This will immediately challenge the young starters currently in the rotation to have a hot start, as Luis Gil, Ryan Weathers, and Will Warren all have Minor League options that can be used.
You could see Aaron Boone use them in reliever roles, but injuries in the rotation will likely keep all three of them in the mix to make starts throughout the season.
Spring Training is the most scary time for injury since the ramp up process can compromise the elbow or shoulder health of pitchers before Opening Day even rolls around.
Last season the Yankees lost Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil to significant injuries while Clarke Schmidt was held back for a few weeks due to some shoulder issues.
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