Carlos Rodon Injury Update, Aaron Boone Reveals Yankees Star's Timeline for 2026 MLB Season Debut

Carlos Rodón has not pitched during the 2026 season after undergoing left elbow surgery in October, but he is on the verge of making his debut.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Wednesday the plan is for Rodón to start Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Bryan Hoch of MLB.com noted Rodón has made three minor league rehab starts with the latest coming Tuesday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. While he allowed five earned runs in 6.1 innings, he sported a solid 3.38 ERA over 16 rehab innings in all.

According to Hoch, the plan is for the southpaw to replace Elmer Rodríguez in the rotation.

New York has also been without Gerrit Cole as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Cole has made four minor league rehab starts, and Boone said he remains "a little bit of a ways away" as the Yankees prepare for a late May or early June return.

Despite being without two of their primary starting pitchers, the Yankees are still 25-11 and in first place in the American League East.

Rodón will provide a significant boost as a three-time All-Star who will be taking the mound in his fourth season for the Bronx Bombers. He was an All-Star last season with a league-high 33 starts to go with a 3.09 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 203 strikeouts in 195.1 innings.

The 33-year-old has also pitched for the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants throughout his career and has been a consistent performer with an overall ERA of 3.73.

New York has been reliant on the combination of Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers with Rodón and Cole out, but the starting rotation could look far more formidable by the middle of the summer if everyone returns and remains healthy.

That could be a problem for the rest of the AL East since it is still in first place with the injury concerns.