TAMPA, Fla. — The New York Yankees rotation already has more open questions than answers heading into Opening Day. Gerrit Cole will not be ready. Carlos Rodon will not be ready. And on Wednesday, a name most casual fans might not recognize joined that list. The difference is, Rodon has a date on the calendar. The other pitcher does not.
Rodon clears first major hurdle since October surgery
Carlos Rodon threw a live batting practice session at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa on Monday, March 9. It was his first time facing hitters since elbow surgery last October.
The session lasted one inning. Rodon made 20 pitches. Manager Aaron Boone was watching, and he did not hide his optimism when reporters asked him for a reaction afterward.
“He’s on a pretty good timeline.”
Rodon underwent surgery in October to remove loose bodies and shave down a bone spur in his left elbow. The Yankees confirmed at the time of the procedure that the operation was expected to delay his season start. A late April or early May return was identified as the target window, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. That timeline remains in place.
Rodon himself acknowledged after Monday’s session that his fastball touched 94 mph without throwing at full effort. That is a notable figure given that his four-seamer had settled around 92 mph in earlier bullpen sessions. The veteran took that as an encouraging sign.
“I’m happy with the velocity that came out.”
He also signaled that he welcomed the change in workout setting after weeks of catch play and structured bullpen sessions that had grown routine.
“I needed to do something else. It was getting monotonous throwing with nobody standing in.”
Boone did not rule out Rodon making an appearance in a Grapefruit League game before the Yankees break camp. The team’s season opener is March 25 in San Francisco against the Giants. Whether Rodon throws in a live game before that date or reports straight to a minor league rehab assignment remains to be seen.
What a healthy Rodon means for the rotation
The Yankees’ Opening Day rotation will be built around Max Fried, who was named the team’s starter for the season opener. Behind him, Aaron Boone has Cam Schlittler, Ryan Weathers, Luis Gil, and Will Warren slotted into the remaining spots, with Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn available as depth options.
That group is capable. But Rodon adds a different dimension. The three-time All-Star went 18-9 with a 3.09 ERA and 203 strikeouts across 195.1 innings in 2025, the best season of his Yankees tenure. He threw a career-high innings total while ranking among the top 10 in the American League in strikeouts.
When asked about a specific return date, Rodon redirected the question to his medical staff.
“Whatever day they said.”
He added elsewhere that he was focused on the process rather than the calendar.
“I just target waking up the next day; I don’t sleep thinking about when I’ll be back.”
Boone confirmed that the Yankees will not accelerate Rodon’s return. They want him at full health, not on a symbolic date.
Selvidge undergoes UCL surgery, will miss all of 2026
On Wednesday, March 11, a separate and more definitive injury update came from a different part of the organization. Yankees pitching prospect Brock Selvidge underwent an internal brace procedure on his left elbow. He will miss the entire 2026 season, per Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.
Selvidge is 23 years old and was selected by the Yankees in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona. Baseball America ranked him 12th among Yankees prospects entering 2026, projecting him as a potential fourth or fifth starter with a five-pitch arsenal that included an average-or-better four-seamer, cutter, and sweeper.
The timing is particularly jarring because Selvidge had thrown two scoreless spring training innings just before the surgery, posting a 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Reports also indicated he had touched 97 mph on the radar gun, a promising velocity spike ahead of what was expected to be a defining season at Double-A.
Jonathan Mayo posted on social media: “Brock Selvidge, No. 15 Yankees prospect, recently had internal brace surgery on his left elbow; he’ll miss the 2026 season. Had pinched nerve in his left biceps that required surgery in 2024. Was back up to 97 mph early this spring.”
His 2025 numbers at Double-A Somerset were a struggle. Selvidge went 2-7 with a 4.68 ERA, an 18.9 percent strikeout rate, and a 12.2 percent walk rate across 19 games, 16 of which were starts. He also dealt with a pinched nerve in his left biceps in 2024 that required a separate surgery and limited him to just 16 appearances that year.
Because Selvidge is not on the 40-man roster, he will not land on the 60-day injured list or accrue major league service time. He was not considered a candidate to help the big-league club early in 2026. But the hope had been that a strong first half at Double-A could put him in position for an emergency role later this summer. That option no longer exists.
A thin margin for error in the pitching depth chart
The Yankees now enter 2026 with three pitchers on the injured list at the big-league level before the first pitch is thrown. Cole, Rodon, and right-hander Clarke Schmidt are all opening the year unavailable.
Selvidge’s surgery adds another layer. He was not going to contribute to the major league roster in the first half in any direct way. But his presence at Double-A would have given the organization flexibility if trade conversations developed mid-season. A healthy Selvidge, even as a fringe piece, has trade value. A Selvidge recovering from UCL surgery does not.
The injury will require extra pitching prospects to hold their own in the first half of 2026 if the Yankees intend to make a deal without moving their most coveted arms. The organization does have depth options. Top pitching prospects Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange could both debut in 2026. Clarke Schmidt is expected back at some point this season as well.
For now, the rotation picture remains in progress. Rodon’s live BP session on Monday was a step in the right direction. Selvidge’s surgery on Wednesday was a setback in the pipeline. Both items matter, just on different timelines and in different ways.
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