Carlos Rodon waiting and ready to go
Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon before Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on Oct. 3, 2026. Credit: Newsday/William Perlman
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – No Yankees pitcher in their standout rotation – except for Cam Schlittler – pitched better than Carlos Rodon down the stretch of the regular season.
And a week into the Yankees’ postseason run, the lefthander, as of the start of Game 2 of the American League Division Series on Monday night, is the lone rotation member yet to appear in a game.
It is nothing personal.
Schlittler naturally got the start in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Red Sox and Max Fried, dominant against Boston throughout his career, appropriately got the nod in Game 2.
There was serious behind-the-scenes debate organizationally before Game 1 of the ALDS of starting Rodon, 3-1 with a 1.89 ERA in his final seven starts, over Gerrit Cole, who went 4-3 with a 4.46 ERA in his last seven starts (allowing 11 homers in 40 1/3 innings).
Cole ultimately got the start and the move hardly backfired as the righthander allowed just one run, on a Jonathan Aranda homer, in a 1-0 loss in which the Yankees were handcuffed by Rays righty Drew Rasmussen.
The Yankees as of Monday afternoon had not announced their intentions for Wednesday’s Game 3 at the Stadium. They all but certainly will start Fried.
And that would leave Rodon, whose last outing came on Sept. 22, to start Game 4, if a Game 4 is necessary.
Waiting so long between starts is never ideal for any starter. In a routine-oriented sport, starting pitchers might just be the most routine-oriented of all. But Rodon is OK with that. Even in acknowledging his desire to be on the mound this time of year.
“Listen, Gerrit Cole’s one of the greatest pitchers we’ve had in this sport in a long while,” Rodon told Newsday on the eve of Game 1. “Obviously, I’m confident in my ability, but we all know who Gerrit Cole is. I’m glad he’s taking the ball in Game 1, as he should…granted, I would love to be that position, but it’s my job to be a good teammate and pull for him and I want him to be successful.”
Rodon then spoke of the difficult rotation calls faced by Aaron Boone and the organization given the season-long excellence of the group.
“You know, Boonie’s got a tough decision,” Rodon said. “There’s four of us that are really good, and he’s got to figure out how to use all of us, and that’s hard. It’s hard.”
As for the long layoff, Rodon said there’s “no excuse” for whenever he’s next on a big-league mound.
“Whenever my name’s called to go pitch, I want to be crisp, I want to be ready,” he said. “These are big games. These are games I have to perform, all of us have to perform. Just trying to stay ready throughout the weeks and just be ready. That’s it.”
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
Out East Show: Visit The Shamrock evergreen maze, Sannino Vineyard, Seven Ponds Orchard and the Warrior Ranch Foundation NewsdayTV's Doug Geed is heading 'Out East' to showcase the ultimate local spots you need to explore.
