The New York Yankees should get a big boost to their rotation in their upcoming series against the Baltimore Orioles. Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports that left-hander Carlos Rodon will start the opening game of the series.
That’s good news for the Yankees’ rotation, which will be at full strength for the first time this season. In Rodon’s absence, the team faced questions about their potential postseason rotation. But his return answers a lot of them.
Injuries have limited the 6’2″ lefty to just nine starts this season. However, Rodon has been effective when taking the mound for the Yankees. He owns a 3.30 ERA and a 26.8% strikeout rate across 46.1 innings.
Rodon began the season on the injured list, as he experienced a setback recovering from offseason surgery to address loose bodies and a bone spur. That delayed his first start of the season until May 10. Then after his nine starts, he spent another lengthy trip on the injured list.
What the Carlos Rodon News Means for the Yankees
GettyThe Yankees rotation will be at full strength for the first time in 2026 with Carlos Rodon set to return from an elbow injury. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
Carlos Rodon has been on the 15-day injured list since June 28 with elbow inflammation. Once the left-hander returns to the rotation, the Yankees will be at full strength for the first time in 2026.
The Yankees will have to make an active roster move before the Orioles series begins. They are not playing the day of this post, as they’re traveling to Baltimore.
Since Rodon is on the 15-day IL, the club doesn’t necessarily have to make a 40-man move. They may tip their hand at their plans for their rotation and bullpen based on the corresponding move.
The other domino is that this will knock a starter out of the rotation. The Yankees will have to decide if they’ll move Ryan Weathers or Will Warren to the bullpen.
They could choose Weathers if they’re worried about workload. The left-hander has pitched 134 innings, a career-high by far. But at the same time, he is arguably a better starter than Warren.
The Yankees boast one of the top rotations among the contending teams. In a postseason series, they can throw Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodon.
For the Orioles series, Rodon will start the opener. That pushes Max Fried to the middle game and Gerrit Cole to the series finale. It offers a bit of a preview of what their postseason rotation could look like, with three of their four starters going.
Yankees Rotation at Full Strength After Latest Carlos Rodon Injury Update