The New York Yankees lost 9-7 to the Houston Astros on Tuesday night, and before Wednesday’s game, they announced a string of roster moves.
One of those moves included recalling young right-handed pitcher Elmer Rodriguez, who is making his fifth start of the season in Wednesday’s matchup.
Aaron Boone Makes Statement on Rodriguez
Ahead of the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone spoke about Rodriguez and made a strong statement about the recently turned 23-year-old’s future.
Boone revealed that he believes Rodriguez will become a big-league starting pitcher in the future “without question.”
“He’s a young pitcher with a lot of ability,” Boone said pregame. “He’s probably pitched his best baseball over the last month or so in Triple-A.
“I think if he goes out and executes, he gives a real chance … he’s got weapons, he’s a future big-league starting pitcher without question, and he’s still very young, but he’s made a lot of progress this year. His strike-throwing has gotten better, and hopefully we’re getting him now when he’s at his best during the year.”
Aaron Boone previews the fifth start of Elmer Rodríguez’s MLB career against the Astros. pic.twitter.com/hocGPLUjpz
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 26, 2026
Rodriguez’s 2026 Season
In four big-league starts with the Yankees this season, Rodriguez is 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA. He has pitched at least four innings in every outing and hasn’t let things spiral out of control despite the average numbers.
In Triple-A, however, he’s been very good, especially as of late, as Boone mentioned. He’s started 19 games for Scranton this year and owns an 8-3 record with a 2.59 ERA across 97.1 innings while striking out 99 batters.
Aaron Boone Makes Strong Statement on Elmer Rodriguez After Yankees Promotion