Reinforcements appear to be on the way as the New York Yankees make their stretch run. Much has been made about Aaron Judge’s status, but the Yankees are also awaiting the return of star pitcher Carlos Rodon.
The Yankees received some good news as Rodon shined in his rehab start on Thursday, August 14. It appears that Rodon is getting closer to being able to return to the mound for New York.
Rodon struck out seven batters, threw 41 strikes (on 58 pitches), allowing two hits and one walk in 4 1/3 scoreless innings during his Double-A Somerset outing.
The Yankees placed Rodon on the 15-day injured list on June 30 with an elbow injury. Rodon could return as soon as Monday, August 17, per MLB.com.
The veteran pitcher’s outing should give both Rodon and the Yankees confidence about the star’s eventual return.
“I feel like I’m always ready to get big league hitters out,” Rodon noted after his rehab start, per New York Post. “The goal was to go out there and throw as many strikes as I could and be efficient.
“As far as what’s next, not sure. I’d love to go out there, compete and help our team win [in the majors], but that is not up to me.”
Yankees News: New York Will Likely Put Carlos Rodon on a Pitch Count
The Yankees may look to pair Rodon with another pitcher when the star returns to the big leagues to shorten his workload. Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed that the team plans to be cautious with Rodon’s pitch count once he returns.
“I think we’ll piggyback him at some point,” Boone said of Rodon, per Marca.com. “It’s just, do we have him do one more and then do the piggyback at whatever pitch count he’s at? That’s the most likely right now.”
Rodon is a 3-time All-Star who made nine starts this season prior to the injury. The pitcher is on a six-year, $162 million contract through 2028.
Aaron Judge Injury Update: Star Could Return in Mid-September, Says Insider
As for Judge, the Yankees have yet to reveal a specific timeline for the slugger’s return. Yet, it is clear that Judge still needs more recovery time.
Judge has been cleared to do upper body workouts but has not been given the green light to resume baseball activities. SNY.TV’s Chelsea Janes believes Judge could return in mid-September.
“From my perspective, here is what a best-case scenario might look like: Say the Yankees wait two weeks from the last scans to re-image the area again,” Janes wrote in an August 11, mailbag story.
“That would put those scans at August 19. Say those scans go well and he can start baseball activities, and that he needs two weeks of building up swinging, throwing, and running strength before he can play in minor league or simulated games for rehab purposes. If he needs a week of rehab games, he could be back in early September. But that timeline seems optimistic,” Janes added.
“More likely, barring setbacks, I could see Judge building up to mid-September – and, given his penchant for aura, maybe even targeting the series against the Mets on the 25th anniversary of September 11.”
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