The New York Yankees entered the 2026 season with sky high expectations, and while they currently sit in second place in the American League East standings, the team enter the All-Star break on the back of a promising first-half as they sit at 54-42 on the season.
They’ve experienced this success despite missing some of their most important pieces, and while the obvious injury that could have held them back is captain Aaron Judge, they’ve also seen several key pieces of their rotation spend time on the Injured List. Right now, Clarke Schmidt, Max Fried and Carlos Rodon are all actively on the IL, and heading into the All-Star break, we’ve seen an update on the latter.
Carlos Rodon Takes Next Step Towards Yankees Return
GettyCarlos Rodon of the New York Yankees.
On July 3rd after last appearing for the Yankees on June 28th, Rodon was placed on the 15-day Injured List, and while he’s going to miss several weeks of action, there was optimism that his stay wouldn’t be much longer than that, with the team hoping to have a fully healthy rotation by the trade deadline on August 3rd.
Ahead of the All-Star break, Manager Aaron Boone revealed some insight into the injuries to his two star left-handers, and for Rodon, who has been in and out of the Yankees rotation for much of the 2026 season, it appears to be a very positive update, with a potential return coming soon.
Carlos Rodón has had a few good days of throwing. He won’t throw today but will just about every day over the break. That could include a
Reported by Gary Phillips of New York Daily Sports, Rodon has progressed well over the past few days in his throwing, and while no return date is imminent or guaranteed, he will be throwing again over the break, with his first bullpen since the injury likely to take place during the All-Star break.
Carlos Rodon is a key Piece for the Yankees Rotation
Even with the injuries to the Yankees rotation, this is one of the most star studded groups in all of baseball, and when healthy, this team could boast a starting rotation of: Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Will Warren, one of, if not the best groups in the American League.
Rodon is a key piece of that group, and if he can get healthy and remain that way, he gives this rotation depth heading into the MLB Playoffs on the back of what’s been a promising, but injury riddled season for him already. Across nine starts, Rodon has a 4-2 record with a 3.30 ERA and 52 strikeouts across 46.1 innings of work, and when healthy, he could be seen as one of, if not the best fourth starter in all of Major League Baseball.
Obviously, there’s plenty of work to be done before Rodon and the rest of this Yankees team can get back to 100% health, but with the team sitting just three games back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East race, there’s no doubt they’ll feature heavily in October once they get some of their biggest stars back on the field.
Yankees Provide Promising Update on Star Lefty Carlos Rodon