On Friday night, the Yankees finally saw the version of Carlos Rodon they thought they were signing two offseasons ago. In a hard-fought 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, Rodon was dominant, giving fans a much-needed reminder of the frontline starter he can still be when everything is clicking.
The lefty tossed 102 pitches across six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out nine. He did walk four batters, which added some traffic, but Rodon’s ability to miss bats carried him through tight moments and gave the Yankees the kind of outing they’ve been desperate for.
Swing-and-Miss Stuff Still Playing
Despite a dip in velocity—his four-seam fastball is averaging 93.7 mph compared to higher numbers earlier in his career—Rodon is still racking up swings and misses at an elite rate.
He currently ranks in the 81st percentile in both whiff percentage and strikeout rate, evidence that his arsenal remains tough to square up. His fastball is looking sharper, holding opposing hitters to a .208 batting average this season, a big improvement from the .262 mark it carried in 2024.
But it’s the slider that’s stealing the show again. Hitters are batting just .100 against it with a slugging percentage hovering near .200. When Rodon’s locating it, it’s nearly untouchable—his primary weapon for racking up punchouts.
Getting Ground Balls and Trending the Right Way
Rodon isn’t just missing bats—he’s also putting the ball on the ground more than ever. So far this season, he’s generating a 54.7% ground ball rate, a strong number that shows he’s staying out of the air and limiting big damage. When paired with his swing-and-miss profile, it’s a recipe for sustained success.
His ERA sits at 4.34 after Friday’s gem, but it’s trending down. The Yankees will take that, especially given how inconsistent their rotation has been beyond Max Fried.
Yankees Need More Starts Like This
For a team with World Series aspirations and a rotation thinned out by injuries and underperformance, Rodon stepping up isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.
He’s shown flashes before, but too often those outings have ended with either a rocky first inning or a meltdown in the final frame. Friday was different. Rodon held strong from pitch one to pitch 102 — he didn’t give up a single barrel or a home run, a rarity during his time donning the pinstripes. Now, it’s about stacking starts like this and becoming the reliable No. 2 behind Fried that the Yankees so badly need.