Carlos Rodon’s final regular-season start for the New York Yankees was a masterpiece. The left-hander held the first-place Tampa Bay Rays scoreless for eight innings. After the game, manager Aaron Boone told The Athletic‘s Chris Kirschner that it could “potentially” be Rodon’s last start of the regular season.
That decision is not likely tied to any injury, but rather getting ready for a tough Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees aren’t going to risk Rodon’s health in what would likely be a meaningless game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Instead, they will focus on getting him ready for the postseason. There are some moving parts and decisions the club will have to make concerning their rotation, and where Rodon fits in all that.
If it’s his last regular-season appearance, then Rodon’s 2026 season was reasonably effective despite multiple elbow injuries sidelining him. In 16 starts, the left-hander pitched to a 2.67 ERA in 84.1 innings.
Yankees Rule Out Carlos Rodon to Start Regular-Season Finale
With Carlos Rodon throwing 96 pitches against the Rays, he wasn’t going to appear in New York’s next five games anyway. With the left-hander ruled out of the series finale, he’s likely thrown his last regular-season pitch for the Yankees in 2026.
The natural question is what Rodon’s role would be in the Wild Card Series. Assuming he doesn’t pitch again in the regular season, he should be fully gassed up against Boston.
The Yankees could have multiple options to start Game 1 in this scenario. Most likely, it will come down to Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, or Cam Schlittler. All three starters will enter that game on at least four days’ rest. Boone will have a tough decision on which starter to use in the bullpen against the Red Sox.
The club will have to decide whether to bump Rodon or Schlittler to relief. Rodon seems the more likely choice given his injury history and Schlittler’s 2026 performance. But considering the major innings bump for the 2026 American League Cy Young frontrunner, it’s not a slam-dunk decision.
If they can defeat the Red Sox, then they can go with their four best starters, including Rodon. The left-hander projects as the Yankees Game 4 starter.
Yankees Right Now
New York will fight to keep their American League hopes alive, but they would need to sweep the Rays. They’ve already cleared the first hurdle with a 2-0 win in the series opener.
New York has already punched their ticket for the postseason. They’re one loss to the Rays away from being locked into a Wild Card spot, with three more to play against their American League East rival.
As soon as Tampa Bay clinches the division, the Yankees are locked into the AL’s No. 4 seed. That sets them up for a rematch against their long-time archrival, the Boston Red Sox, a season series New York won 7-6.
The Yankees already got some tough news concerning Aaron Judge. Judge has already been ruled out of a potential Wild Card Series against the Red Sox.
Yankees Announce Carlos Rodon Decision During Rays Series