MILWAUKEE — Carlos Rodon has not taken the mound in a real game since Oct. 7, 2025. That night ended badly. He allowed six runs and six hits in 2 1/3 innings in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Blue Jays. The Yankees were eliminated. Rodon went under the knife shortly after.
Seven months later, he is ready to pitch again. And they have set him up with the most favorable matchup he could have asked for.
Sunday at American Family Field against the Milwaukee Brewers, Rodon will make his 2026 season debut. The Yankees are 26-12. They lead the American League. And their rotation, already the best in baseball by ERA, is about to get significantly stronger.
Boone confirms the plan, Rodon gets the call
Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed Wednesday that Rodon was expected to start Sunday in Milwaukee, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. Boone acknowledged he needed to finalize plans with the pitching staff but made clear the intent was firm.
Rodon opened the 2026 Yankees season on the 15-day injured list. He had surgery in October to remove loose bodies and shave a bone spur from his left elbow. He made three rehab starts to rebuild, beginning with 4.1 scoreless innings at High-A Hudson Valley. Then came a dominant outing at Double-A Somerset: one run, five hits, eight strikeouts across 5.1 innings. He threw 51 of his 75 pitches for strikes. His final tune-up Tuesday at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre lasted 6.1 innings and built him up to 85 pitches.
Across the three outings, he posted a 3.38 ERA with 16 strikeouts and three walks in 16 innings.
Asked about the process of building Rodon back up to big-league readiness, Boone explained what had gone into the decision.
“I think he’s felt ready to go now the last couple of times,” Boone said via SNY. “But to get him up over 80 pitches this time out, we wanted to do, and give him a third game. We feel like he’s ready to go. Feel like he’s been throwing the ball well. His stuff, he’s starting to command his stuff well, and feel like he’s ready.”
The Brewers: A bad matchup for opposing left-handers
The opponent matters. And this one suits the Yankees left-hander well.
Milwaukee entered Thursday at 19-16, third in the NL Central and fresh off a Yankees series loss. They had gone 6-7 in their last 13 games. They have also lost seven of their last 12 home games at American Family Field after a 5-1 start at home.
More importantly, the Brewers are one of the worst teams in baseball against left-handed pitching this season. Milwaukee has seen the 17th-most left-handers in the majors this year. They rank 25th in batting average against southpaws at .213 and 29th in slugging at .280. They have hit just three home runs against left-handers all season, tied for 28th in baseball.
For a left-hander returning from months away, facing a lineup that cannot hit southpaws is a perfect spot.
History adds another layer of Yankees confidence. In five career appearances against the Brewers covering 22.1 innings, Rodon is 2-1 with a 2.42 ERA and 28 strikeouts. He has allowed exactly one earned run in four of those five outings, including his last three. Since joining the Yankees, he is 2-0 against Milwaukee and has surrendered just two earned runs across 11.1 innings.
What this means for a rotation that already leads the majors
The Yankees rotation entered this week with the best ERA in baseball at 2.77. Fried has been the anchor. Schlittler has outperformed expectations. Weathers carries a 3.03 ERA. Warren was dominant before his rough outing against Texas.
Rodon steps in as a direct upgrade over Elmer Rodriguez-Lopez, the rookie who held the fifth rotation spot while Rodon recovered. Rodriguez had moments but showed the inconsistency expected from a young arm still developing. Rodon takes that spot back as a three-time All-Star with established results.
Last season with the Yankees he went 18-9 with a 3.09 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 203 strikeouts. He made 33 starts and threw 195.1 innings. He led the majors in starts. He was one of the five best pitchers in the American League. During those 33 starts, the Yankees scored 174 runs, collected 132 hits and hit 22 home runs as an offense behind him.
The rotation gap opened when Luis Gil struggled early and lost his Yankees spot. With Rodon returning, the Yankees solve that problem without needing an outside acquisition.
Cole still weeks away, pressure on Rodon to deliver
Gerrit Cole is still recovering from Tommy John surgery. Per ESPN’s Jorge Castillo, Cole needs two to three more rehab starts. A late May or early June return is the target.
That makes Rodon’s performance even more critical in the short term. The Yankees do have pitching depth options. Ben Hess and Carlos Lagrange are promising arms in the system. But neither has established himself as a reliable major league starter yet. Rodriguez showed potential but needs more seasoning.
If Rodon pitches well and picks up where he left off, the Yankees avoid looking outside for starting help. If he struggles to regain his form, the pressure on Cashman to find a fifth arm grows.
The Yankees are 26-12 and winning at a historic pace. Sunday is about whether the most expensive part of their rotation justifies the investment when the games matter most.
The matchup could not be better set up for a strong Yankees answer.
What do you think?
