Yankees continue to roll, while two All-Star reinforcements get ready
Injury-rehab starters Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole are tracking back toward the Bronx, where the Yankees own the AL's best record.
NEW YORK – In winning 15 of their last 17 games, the Yankees have done a lot of very good things against a lot of pedestrian AL teams. Top to bottom, their lineup has kept the pressure on opposing pitching – now with 46 runs scored during a five-game winning streak. Their bullpen, as manager Aaron Boone noted after Tuesday night’s 7-4 win against Texas, might “just be better than everyone thinks, first of all.
’’ And the Yanks’ rotation – with an MLB-best 2. 77 ERA – is about to get another upgrade, probably on Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee. That’s when Carlos Rodon could make his 2026 Yankees debut, following a minor league rehab assignment.
Rodon close to returning, Cole not far behind Boone said the plan is to activate Rodon, who tossed 83 pitches across 6. 1 innings on Tuesday night for Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. And the veteran lefty – coming back from October surgery to remove loose bodies near his pitching elbow - is due to replace rookie Elmer Rodriguez, optioned back to Triple-A following Tuesday night’s start at Yankee Stadium.
Also on Tuesday night, ace right-hander Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery recovery) moved a bit closer to the Bronx with a 69-pitch, 4. 1-inning rehab start at Class A Hudson Valley. Cole’s exact return date to the Yanks’ rotation is undefined, but if he’s even three rehab starts away, that still puts him in play later this month.