NEW YORK — A wild pitch is bad. A wild throw trying to fix the wild pitch is worse. Together, they handed the Mets two free runs and changed the trajectory of the game.
Carlos Rodon walked off the mound in the fourth inning of the Yankees’ 6-3 Subway Series loss to the Mets on Saturday at Citi Field with a line that read 88 pitches, three runs and a question that will not go away quietly: Is his left elbow fully right after surgery?
Some command issues from a pitcher two starts into his return from elbow surgery are expected. What happened in the third inning went beyond a lapse. It exposed exactly what the Yankees need Rodon to fix.
Boone’s pre-game hopes and Rodon’s rocky first week back
Before Saturday’s game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked about Carlos Rodon‘s command after the lefty walked five batters and hit another in 4 1/3 innings during his season debut against the Brewers the previous Sunday.
Boone set the expectation clearly.
“I don’t feel like he’s far off,” Boone said. “But it’s just a matter of commanding the strike zone a little better than his first time.”
Rodon did not deliver on that request. Through two starts since returning from surgery, he has walked eight batters and hit another in a combined 8 innings. His command has been, in his own words, “just wonky at the moment.”
On Saturday, three walks and 88 pitches pushed him out of the game after just 3 2/3 innings. Six strikeouts provided some encouragement. The third inning provided none.
The wild pitch, the barehanded catch and the throw that cost the Yankees
This is the moment that defined Rodon’s night and raised the loudest questions about what the Yankees are working with in his current form.
Two outs in the third. Bases loaded. Rodon fired a pitch to Mark Vientos well above the strike zone. It struck the brick backstop at Citi Field and bounced back. Benge broke for home.
Rodon barehanded the carom and threw toward the plate off balance. The throw was not close. It went well wide of catcher Austin Wells. Benge scored. Bichette scored. Two Yankees runs gifted on one wild pitch and one errant throw. Mets 2-1.
Rodon was blunt when asked what he was thinking in that moment. His explanation acknowledged the mistake without hesitation.
“I was trying to give a good fastball in the zone,” Rodon said. “And, I mean, I threw it above the umpire. I hit the bull back there. Stupid play. I tried to make a superhero play on the ball. That’s one I gotta eat. Just got a little ambitious with that throw, so a mistake there that can’t happen.”
He went further when asked to sum up where his game stands right now.
“I just gotta put it all together,” Rodon said. “It’s not a two-inning game. We play nine innings here.”
Fourth-inning damage and an early exit that leaves more questions
In the fourth, a two-out walk to Austin Slater extended the inning. Baty drove an RBI double. Yankees down 3-1. It was the final batter Rodon faced.
Rodon’s session: 88 pitches, 3 2/3 innings, three hits, three walks, six strikeouts, three runs with two earned.
Boone acknowledged the frustrating pattern while searching for what was working.
“Both of the innings where he gets dinged there, it’s two outs and nobody on, and then some long at-bats,” Boone said. “There’s some really encouraging signs. We’ve got to dial in the command now.”
The elbow surgery question the Yankees cannot ignore
Rodon had surgery in October to remove loose bodies from his elbow and shave down a bone spur. The procedure was described as a cleanup. He was expected to be a reliable Yankees starter behind Max Fried and Gerrit Cole. Fried is now on the IL with a bone bruise. Cole is still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. In that context, Rodon’s two stumbling starts carry more weight than they otherwise would.
In 2025, Rodon was a Yankees All-Star. The 2026 version through eight combined innings has looked nothing like that. The question is whether two starts is too small a sample, or whether the surgery left something not quite right.
Rodon addressed the elbow directly. He said he feels fine physically and has no concern about the surgery site.
He also refused to give himself any leniency when asked if he is still settling in.
“I’m never going to make an excuse,” Rodon said. “I think I should be dialed in right now, and it’s frustrating. Obviously, I want to be better, and I’m not gonna give myself that leash.”
Teammates patient but Yankees rotation under pressure
Chisholm offered a measured Yankees teammate perspective on Rodon’s command issues.
“It’s just getting back into your game, finding the consistency, and being out there in games, especially big league games,” Chisholm said. “He hadn’t pitched in a big league game in a couple months, so I would say just take some time. No panic.”
The Yankees entered Saturday with the third-best rotation ERA in the majors at 3.09. Cam Schlittler has been elite. Weathers and Warren have contributed. A Rodon walking eight batters in two starts is not the Yankees pitcher the Yankees rotation needs as June nears.
The elbow may be fine. The command may return. Saturday’s sequence was not just a bad outing. It was a warning sign the Yankees cannot dismiss.
What do you think? What action should the Yankees take?
