TAMPA, Fla. — Less than two weeks before the Yankees break camp, left-hander Carlos Rodon’s rehab from minor elbow surgery finally has progressed to facing hitters.
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After a bunch of bullpen outings, too many for Rodon to count, he was on the mound Monday afternoon throwing 20 competitive pitches to non-roster hitters before fans entered Steinbrenner Field for a night game against the Pirates.
This was big progress because Rodon looked good, he felt good and his 92-94-mph fastball velocity was a couple ticks up from his bullpens while not trying to throw hard.
What’s next is another live BP, and then probably another After that, it’ll be a fourth or game action in one of the two exhibitions the Yankees play in Scottsdale, Ariz., just prior to their March 25 season opener in San Francisco.
“By the time I get in my first real game action, we’ll be on our way to the regular season almost, so probably (no spring training starts),” Rodon said. “It would be nice, but more than likely not.”
When will Rodon be ready off the injured list and beginning what he hopes is an outstanding follow-up to his 2025, which included career-bests of 18 wins, 33 starts and 195.1 innings in addition to a third All-Star selection?
Is returning before May possible?
“I don’t know what’s in play,” Rodon said. “I just know what days I have to throw. That’s what I know.”
After the surgery, which removed a bone spur and loose bodies, the Yankees speculated that Rodon best-case might be back in their rotation very early in the season. At the time, a picture was painted that Rodon might miss very few starts.
That timeframe no longer is possible, but Rodon says it’s because everyone reacts differently to arm surgery. He says there have been no setbacks.
“Any sort of surgery is fairly significant, especially when it’s your tool, your throwing arm,” Rodon said. “With all these things, it’s hard to tell the future. It’s hard to know what’s going to happen. That’s not an excuse. That’s the truth.
“I’ve had three surgeries now over my career — one on my shoulder, two on my elbow — and it’s never perfect. And it’s never going to be. Rarely it is in any rehab. So it’s just one of those things where when you have something happen that’s not normal to your arm and you have to come back from it, this can be extensive at times.
“When I say it was extensive, was there pain after surgery? No. I think it’s just what my body put out. I don’t know. It’s just my own timeline.
“I would have loved to been back for Opening Day. Was that the case? No. I’m just ready at my own pace.”
Rodon was very upbeat after his live BP.
“I think the effort level, the intent on the mound wasn’t full bore and I’m happy with the velocity that came out at that,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to throw hard and it came out like at an easy, smooth pace.”
Manager Aaron Boone watched Rodon from behind the mound and was impressed.
“I thought he was actually pretty sharp,” Boone said. “I thought the stuff was all good. The changeup, slider, two- and four-seam were all good. He’s starting to build now, so start that progression of lives and games and build that pitch count. I feel like he’s doing well.”
The hope is that the elbow cleanup helps Rodon be as good as he was last season when he often pitched with a sore elbow … or even better.
“Look, at his best he’s been a dominant pitcher,” Boone said. “I think what’s been exciting to me about Carlos ... how he’s evolved as a pitcher. The time when he was just high-90s fastball (with a) power slider, he had a lot of success doing that. I think we’ve seen him become much more of a refined pitcher the last couple years and I think that’s going to serve him well.
“Hopefully this is something that just with giving him that range of motion, that freedom ... I think the biggest thing for him is because (his throwing motion is) different now, it’s freed him up a little bit. It’s getting that last bit of proprioception that ultimately will up his command.
“So, yeah, I think it’s possible (he’ll be even better). Then again, it’s tough to argue with 37 wins the last two years. If he stays in line with that, I’ll be a happy guy.”
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