It’s taken longer than anyone originally expected, but starting pitcher Carlos Rodon is continuing to inch toward making his Yankees debut. The next phase of his rehab process came on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium with another round of live batting practice.
Rodon faced a handful of players during this session. One included a rehabbing Harrison Bader, as well as Willie Calhoun. It wasn’t a fun experience for Calhoun, who got hit on the elbow with a pitch:
Carlos Rodón hit Willie Calhoun with a pitch on the elbow during his live BP. Calhoun was in clear pain and immediately left the field. He’s scheduled to leadoff tonight.
— Brendan Kuty 🧟♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) June 11, 2023
The left-handed hitter still played for New York in Sunday night’s finale against the Boston Red Sox. He went 0-for-3 out of the leadoff spot before giving way to Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
Overall, though, it was another step forward for Carlos Rodon, who’s been trying to get back into the big-league rotation since the beginning of Spring Training. MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch detailed the immediate next steps for the Yankees southpaw, including one final live BP session before a minor-league rehab assignment:
Carlos Rodon is scheduled to throw one more live BP on Thursday, then should begin a Minor League rehab assignment.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) June 11, 2023
Within the comments of Hoch’s tweet, a Twitter user asked him if there was any sense of what Rodon’s fastball velocity was on Sunday. Here’s the answer:
93-96, per Boone
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) June 11, 2023
That’s a welcome sign as Rodon continues to increase his pitch count before returning to New York’s rotation. Here’s what his average fastball velocity has been in each of the past three seasons, per FanGraphs:
- 2020 with the Chicago White Sox: 93.0 mph
- 2021 with the Chicago White Sox: 95.4 mph
- 2022 with the San Francisco Giants: 95.5 mph
The left-hander has experienced a handful of setbacks during his rehab journey over the past few months. But since his latest attempt at ramping up began, it doesn’t seem like anything has gotten in the way.
His return will be huge for the Yankees, who signed the hurler with visions of pairing him at the top of their rotation with Gerrit Cole.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
