Yankees' Carlos Rodón Placed on 15-Day IL with Hamstring Injury

Another key New York Yankees starting pitcher has been placed on the injured list.

The team announced Monday that left-handed starter Carlos Rodón was being placed on the 15-day IL with a hamstring strain. This comes after he exited his Sunday's game in the third inning following two consecutive awkward deliveries.

He has only made six starts in 2023 after he spent the first three months of the season on the IL with a left forearm strain.

When Rodón has been healthy in 2023, it hasn't been pretty. He is currently 1-4 on the season with a 7.33 ERA. He has a negative WAR thus far and is averaging less than five innings per start.

While the injuries and ineffectiveness is concerning given the six-year, $162 million contract he signed with the Yankees ahead of the 2023 season, his past performance shows how much of a star he can be. He had a sub-3.00 ERA in both 2021 and 2022 and recorded more than 400 strikeouts across those two seasons.

His 25 strikeouts in 27 innings in 2023 show that he still has that going for him and he will surely snag a spot in the rotation again once he recovers from the hamstring injury. Still, his loss comes at a difficult time for the Yankees, as the team just had to shut down Domingo Germán, who threw a perfect game just weeks ago, due to alcohol abuse.

The Yankees, despite having the second-highest payroll in MLB, sit in fourth place in the AL East. They are 58-54 on the season and are just 4.5 games outside of the third Wild Card spot, but this is still a disappointing spot to be in for a team that won 99 games a season ago.

The pitching staff, anchored by ace Gerrit Cole, has not really been the issue as they have the 10th-best ERA in the league, but having a player like Rodón down the stretch will be crucial for the team to make a charge toward the postseason.