The New York Yankees‘ strong start to the 2026 campaign seems to be a thing of the past. The team has dropped six of their past 10 contests, with their most recent defeat seeing them suffer a 2-0 loss at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays. Not only did the lineup fail to score a single run, but the Yanks also wasted a strong outing from starting pitcher Carlos Rodon.
After struggling in his first two starts of the year earlier this month, Rodon looked more like himself against Toronto, as he hurled five innings, giving up just one run on three hits and three walks apiece while also striking out seven batters. That wasn’t enough to save him from suffering his second loss of the year, but both he and manager Aaron Boone were encouraged with his performance.
Carlos Rodon, Aaron Boone Reflect on His Latest Outing
On the stat sheet, Rodon will get penciled in as the losing pitcher, but he had his best stuff of the season, which is a good sign for a New York that appears intent on continuing to rely on its pitching staff. While a lot went wrong for the Yankees in this one, Boone revealed after the game that he was encouraged by what he saw from Rodon as he continues to ramp up after beginning the year on the injured list.
“I thought he was great,” Boone said. “The secondary was good, but the fastball was terrific. That’s not an easy team to get swing-and-miss, but the fastball really played. Definitely, it was the best of the three [starts]. He stayed within himself and didn’t try to do too much.”
Add in the fact that Gerrit Cole is set to make his season debut on Friday, and an already strong starting rotation for the Yankees is about to get even better. Rodon was a bit harsher on himself in the wake of this outing than Boone, but he still was able to admit that he’s trending in the right direction after he failed to make it through five innings in each of his first two starts.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” Rodón said. “I’d like to get deeper into games. It’s a step forward, but I can still be better.”
Yankees Need to Get Their Lineup Going
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 19: Manager Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees looks on during the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on May 19, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
As has been the case time and again early on this season, pitching hasn’t been the problem for New York. The main issue is that its lineup has been unable to score runs on a consistent basis as of late. Aaron Judge is mired in a worrying slump, and without his production, no one else has been able to pick up the slack to this point.
The Yanks still have a 30-21 record, so it isn’t time to fully panic yet, but they now find themselves 4.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East division. After splitting their four-game set with the Blue Jays, the Yankees will be back in action on Friday night as they kick off a very important series against the Rays.
Yankees’ Carlos Rodon & Aaron Boone React to ‘Step Forward’ Despite Blue Jays Loss