BRONX, NY — The Yankees are not going to have any other choice but to strongly consider Carlos Rodon for a spot in a potential three-man rotation for next week’s American League Wild Card Series against the Red Sox — a testament to just how good the veteran southpaw has been as of late.
Rodon shoved yet again in Tuesday’s doubleheader opener against the Tampa Bay Rays, a 2-0 win, going a season-high eight scoreless innings while yielding just three hits with eight strikeouts and zero walks for his 100th career win. He faced the minimum possible batters through 6.1 innings, erasing two hits with double plays in the second and sixth innings.
“He was awesome,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Strike-throwing was great. The fastball was in a really good place… he had velo when he really needed it, and the secondary was really good — the slider and the changeup. And obviously, very pitch efficient. Some really good defense behind him. Just a really solid, quick win.”
Even more impressive was that he was able to put together that kind of afternoon against a Rays team that is one of the best in baseball, having won 95 games entering Tuesday’s action and on the precipice of clinching the AL East title with just one more win.
But this is who Rodon has been since his return from his latest IL stint, as elbow inflammation sidelined him for six weeks from July 3 to Aug. 18. He did not make his 2026 debut until May after undergoing offseason elbow surgery.
Including Tuesday’s start, the 33-year-old is 3-1 with a 1.89 ERA and 39 strikeouts compared to 12 walks.
“My goal is to go out there and get as many outs as I can and leave the game winning so our team’s ahead. So I just try to keep it simple. As far as putting my finger on something, I don’t know. I just go out there and compete. I guess I would say it’s my competitiveness.”
He got all the support he needed on Tuesday afternoon with Cody Bellinger’s two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth against Rays starter Nick Martinez, who had been perfect across the first three innings. But Ben Rice led off with a double before Bellinger deposited the first pitch he saw into the right-field seats for his 17th round-tripper of the season.
After yielding a one-out single in the seventh to Jonathan Arranda, Rodon finished his day by retiring the last four men he faced, including the 1,500th strikeout of his career with a whiff of Jonny DeLuca for the second out of the eighth inning.
“In the moment, I had no idea what was going on,” Rodon said. “I was just like, ‘Oh, people are clapping, alright, cool.’ Yeah, it’s cool. 1,500 is nice, so hopefully I keep going.”
At this rate, it would be impossible not to include him in the Wild Card rotation, meaning that Gerrit Cole could potentially be the odd man out until a potential ALDS. But Boone is not tipping his hand, though he admitted that this could have been Rodon’s final start of the regular season. Working out of the bullpen in the postseason also remains an option.
“I don’t know, I don’t really look ahead that much at it,” Boone said. “Every game is its own game, and I feel like Carlos is throwing the ball really well right now…We haven’t gotten there yet.”
“Health-wise, I feel good,” Rodon added. “Confidence is good, and as you know, when the playoffs happen, you get the best out of everybody. So it’ll be fun. If this is my last [start], it’s my last one. I think it’d be great to be able to start the last game of the year, but we’ll see.”
For more on Carlos Rodon and the Yankees, visit AMNY.com
