TRUJILLO ALTO, Puerto Rico — The bond between a grandson and his grandfather can shape a lifetime. For Yankees pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez, that bond came with an unexpected twist: the man who taught him everything about baseball was a die-hard Red Sox fan.
Rodriguez, 22, spent his formative years on his family’s chicken farm in the Puerto Rican countryside. His grandfather became his guide into the sport. The older man carried a hefty frame that reminded everyone of David Ortiz. Rodriguez called him Big Papi.
“Big Papi was his favorite player, too,” Rodriguez said in a recent interview with NJ Advance Media. “My grandfather had the same big belly.”
A storm that changed everything
Rodriguez was 14 years old when Hurricane Maria made landfall on Sept. 20, 2017. The Category 4 storm became the deadliest to strike Puerto Rico since 1899. Government studies later estimated 2,975 deaths across the island.
His hometown of Trujillo Alto sits near San Juan. In a neighboring suburb called Guaynabo, where Rodriguez attended Leadership Christian Academy, more than 2,800 homes were destroyed.
The Rodriguez family and their chicken farm survived. But life changed dramatically for the aspiring pitcher.
“The whole country was really badly affected,” Rodriguez said. “For a month, we had no school because, literally, it was just cleaning up. There were electricity poles down everywhere. We had no power for eight months because they started fixing the poles in the cities first and it took a long time for the workers to get to the countryside, where our farm is.”
He described those months without power as grueling. A teenager accustomed to sleeping with air conditioning had to adjust to sweltering nights.
“We just had to grind through it,” he said. “It was tough time, but we made it past it. We didn’t have any damage and nobody got hurt. I’m thankful for that.”
From catcher to flamethrower
Rodriguez started his baseball journey behind the plate. Catching was his first position. But coaches noticed his arm strength early.
“From the beginning, I always threw hard, so pitching was always one of my positions,” Rodriguez said. “Throwing hard always benefitted me. From a young age, it was difficult for kids to hit me.”
He spent countless hours in the backyard with his older brother Victor. The two would play catch for hours. Rodriguez is naturally right-handed as a hitter but switched to batting lefty because Victor hit from that side.
Victor was a promising player until a meniscus tear in high school ended his baseball dreams. He shifted focus to academics. Elmer carried the family’s baseball hopes forward.
Drafted by the enemy
Rodriguez grew up idolizing Alex Rodriguez. The connection to his namesake drew him to the Yankees. His childhood bedroom featured pinstripes.
But when the 2021 MLB Draft arrived, Boston came calling. The Red Sox selected him in the fourth round with the 105th overall pick.
The young Yankees fan had to don the colors of his team’s greatest rival. His grandfather was thrilled.
“That was difficult for me,” Rodriguez admitted. “I was a Yankees fan, but had a couple family members who were really big Boston fans, so we always had that Yankees-Red Sox rivalry.”
His grandfather never saw him pitch professionally for Boston. He passed away before Rodriguez could climb the minor league ladder. But the old man witnessed the draft day that fulfilled his wish.
“My grandfather passed away a couple years ago, but he got to see me get drafted by Boston,” Rodriguez said. “That’s what he wanted. When I was growing up, he always said he wanted to see me play for Boston. I ended up being drafted by the Red Sox with the 105th pick and my grandfather’s tomb number is 105. Seeing that was a full-circle moment for me.”
The trade that stunned him
Rodriguez spent three seasons in Boston’s farm system. He developed steadily but remained relatively unknown outside prospect circles.
Then came December 2024. The Winter Meetings were underway. Boston made a blockbuster deal to acquire ace left-hander Garrett Crochet from the White Sox. On the same day, the Red Sox shipped Rodriguez to the Yankees for catching prospect Carlos Narvaez and $250,000 in international signing pool money.
Rodriguez’s phone had lost service that day. He spent hours in the dark about his future.
“It came out of nowhere,” he said. “That whole day was a roller coaster. I lost my phone service, so I couldn’t receive any messages or get calls.”
When his phone finally worked again, he saw trade rumors swirling on Twitter. Boston and Seattle appeared close on a deal. Then a Massachusetts number appeared on his screen.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, I just got traded to Seattle!'” Rodriguez recalled. “I answered the phone and it was the Red Sox. They said, ‘We made a trade and you’re part of it.’ Once I heard Yankees, I was in shock. Red Sox to the Yankees. You don’t see trades like that often because they’re rivals.”
A breakout season in pinstripes
The trade has worked out for both clubs. Narvaez became one of the best defensive catchers in baseball during his rookie season with Boston. He led the majors with 32 runners caught stealing and earned Gold Glove consideration. He batted .241 with 15 home runs and 50 RBI across 118 games before undergoing knee surgery in October.
Rodriguez, meanwhile, dominated in the Yankees system. He posted a 2.58 ERA across three levels: High-A Hudson Valley, Double-A Somerset, and Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre. His 178 strikeouts over 150 innings ranked second in all of minor league baseball.
Baseball America now ranks him as the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect behind shortstop George Lombard Jr. MLB Pipeline placed him at No. 97 on their top 100 list.
An American League scout who follows the Yankees organization shared his assessment.
“I think he can be a solid No. 4 starter in the big leagues,” the evaluator said. “When I watched Rodriguez, he threw a ton of strikes and every pitch was around the zone. He threw a two-seam fastball that had some sink and tail to it. He was 93-96, sitting 94, which was pretty good. His slider was slightly above average.”
The scout added: “I know the Yankees gave up a good catcher, but they could still win this trade in the long run because it’s so hard to find starting pitchers, and Rodriguez could be a pretty good one.”
Building strength through chicken and protein
Rodriguez arrived in professional baseball as a lanky 6-foot-3, 160-pound teenager. Boston’s development staff made weight gain a priority. More mass would translate to more velocity.
“When I got there, I was only 160 pounds,” Rodriguez explained. “When I was putting on weight, they didn’t have me throw a lot of innings. By 2024, once I was up to around 180, my velo went up almost 3 mph. Then last year, after I went to the Yankees, I got up to about 185 and the velo went up more.”
Growing up on a chicken farm gave him easy access to protein. He leaned into that advantage.
“I’ve been eating a lot of chicken!” he said with a laugh. “I’ve been drinking a lot of protein shakes, too. I’ve also been lifting weights. I’ve been following that plan throughout and I’m going to stick with it because I want to add more weight.”
Eyes on the Bronx
The Yankees have significant money tied up in their rotation. Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodon represent more than $700 million in guaranteed contracts. Luis Gil, Cam Schlitter, and Will Warren provide additional depth. Clarke Schmidt is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Rodriguez understands the competition ahead. He refuses to let it intimidate him.
“I know the Yankees have a lot of great pitchers,” he said. “Hopefully, one day I can be part of that rotation. I’m going to work hard to try to get there and help the Yankees bring home a championship. That’s the goal for every player, win a championship.”
His 2025 season proved he belongs in the conversation. He exceeded every personal goal he set.
“I went into every start trying to be the best version that I can be and I feel like I exceeded most of my goals,” Rodriguez said. “I wanted to get to 100 innings because I’d never done it, and I got to 150. I had some success. I felt like it was a great year for me.”
He finished 2025 with one start at Triple-A. The major leagues feel within reach.
“That’s what I have in my eyesight for next season,” Rodriguez said. “I want to get to the big leagues, make my debut. I’m shooting for more innings and get to the bigs.”
His grandfather would have appreciated the irony. The kid he raised on Red Sox baseball now wears pinstripes. Big Papi might have groaned at the outcome. But he would have been proud of the journey.
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