Carlos Rodon Returns Off IL to Start for Yankees
carlos rodon is back in the Yankees' rotation. The club activated him from the 15-day injured list on Sunday and sent him straight into the start against the Brewers.
Rodon Returns to the Mound
The move gave New York another established starter after weeks of waiting for his arm to catch up to the rest of his game. Rodón had spent the opening stretch of 2025 on the injured list while finishing his recovery from October surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow.
He was not eased into the next step with a bullpen session or a short relief role. The Yankees put him into the game against Milwaukee, a direct test of how far the rehab work had carried him.
Yankees Rotation Depth
The timing fits a staff that has already carried the club through injuries. New York’s rotation had a 3.01 ERA, best in the majors, along with a combined 5.2 fWAR that also led the majors even before Rodón returned.
Rodón’s own track record explains why the Yankees were willing to put him back in the middle of the group. In 2025 he logged a 3.09 ERA over 195 1/3 innings with 203 strikeouts, a groundball rate that rose by about 10%, and just over one home run allowed per nine innings after surrendering 31 the year before.
He stepped in behind Max Fried and Cam Schlittler in a mid-rotation role, giving New York another high-end arm after Luis Gil was optioned to Triple-A following four starts and later shut down with shoulder inflammation. Paul Blackburn also filled a spot start before moving back toward a long relief role, leaving the rotation thinner until Rodón’s activation.
Castro Moves to Triple-A
The corresponding move sent Kervin Castro to Triple-A after he threw two innings Friday, allowing one earned run on two hits while striking out two hitters. That opened the roster spot for Rodón and cleared the way for the left-hander to take the ball again in the majors.
Rodón’s return is less about ceremony than supply. The Yankees now have one more starter they can use in a rotation that has already weathered absences and still sat at the top of the league, and Sunday’s start was the first proof that his rehab schedule has turned into a real roster answer.
