Yankees' Carlos Rodón Dealing with Back Tightness; Return from Forearm Injury Delayed

New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodón had back tightness that will cause his return from a left forearm injury to be delayed, manager Aaron Boone told Talkin' Yanks on Tuesday.

Rodón, who signed a six-year, $162 million deal with the Yankees in December, has yet to make his team debut because of the arm injury, which he suffered in spring training. He has made 30 starts just one time in his MLB career.

"Rodón, he had some back tightness, so it's kind of delayed his next live, which was supposed to be yesterday, today," Boone said. "So, it's probably going to be a few days. Elbow-wise, he's doing great. So, we'll see how the next couple of days are there. But we're getting there."

Rodón was sensational in 2021 and 2022, posting a 27-13 record with a 2.67 ERA and 1.00 WHIP while striking out 422 batters in 310.2 innings with the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants. He was the Yankees' biggest offseason acquisition as they fortified their rotation in the hopes of making their first World Series appearance since 2009.

The Bronx Bombers are 6-4 without Rodón but are already facing a four-game deficit in the American League East because of the Tampa Bay Rays' historic 10-0 start. The sooner they can get Rodón back next to Gerrit Cole at the top of the rotation, the better.