Yankees place LHP Carlos Rodón on 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation

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NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees placed starting pitcher Carlos Rodón on the 15-day injured list due to left elbow inflammation, nearly two months into his return from offseason elbow surgery.

The Yankees made the move Friday, retroactive to Tuesday. On Sunday, Rodón allowed two runs and one hit in five innings in a 5-4, 10-inning loss at Boston. The 33-year-old left-hander's average velocity on his fastball, changeup, slider and sinker against the Red Sox were slightly down when he threw 55 of 96 pitches for strikes.

Putting Rodón on the injured list was one of four moves the Yankees made before opening a three-game series with Minnesota. New York is mired in a seven-game skid, it's worst since losing nine straight in Aug. 2023.

Rodón went for an MRI after feeling pain while playing catch on Wednesday. The MRI showed inflammation. He will have a platelet-rich plasma injection, and will not throw for a few days or a week.

“It’s kind of like off and on the last couple of weeks," Rodón said. “Just trying to come back throughout the week, it hasn’t been agreeing with me. So the recovery’s been not so great over the last few weeks, but still out there, got to pitch which was great, but this week up it caught up."

Rodon was scheduled to start Saturday. The Yankees did not announce who would replace him.

The Yankees also activated third baseman Ryan McMahon and center fielder Trent Grisham from the IL, while optioning utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre

Rodón is 4-2 with a 3.30 ERA in nine starts since returning from the IL on May 10. He struggled with command in his first three starts and is 4-0 with a 2.97 ERA in his last six outings.

“I think he's one of the guys just struggling recovering in between and then finally getting to a point where (he said), let's go get this thing checked out,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Obviously good news with the ligament, that was encouraging. He's got some inflammation in there and that's going to cost him a little bit of time.”

Rodón had surgery Oct. 15 to remove loose bodies in his left elbow and shave a bone spur. He then had a setback in late March when he felt tightness in his right hamstring while throwing at the Yankees’ Florida complex.

He was 18-9 with a 3.09 ERA last season despite an ailing arm. His four-seam fastball velocity, which averaged 95.3 mph in his first season with the Yankees, was 94.4 mph in the first half last year and dropped to 93.8 mph in the second half.

Rodón is 97-74 with a 3.72 ERA in 12 major league seasons, including 41-28 since signing a $162 million, six-year contract with the Yankees in December 2023.

New York has yet to have Rodón, Gerrit Cole and Max Fried healthy at the same time. Cole missed last season following elbow reconstructive surgery and returned nine days after Fried exited a start in Baltimore with a bone bruise in his left elbow.

Fried faced hitters for the first time Tuesday and is expected to do so again on Sunday.

Grisham returned after missing 18 games with a strained right hamstring sustained running to second in Toronto in June 12. He is hitting .232 with eight homers and 35 RBIs in 66 games. He hit safely in 10 straight games before getting hurt.

McMahon was activated after missing 11 games with a throat infection. In his first full season with the Yankees after being acquired from Colorado in July, McMahon is hitting .210 with eight homers and 23 RBIs.

Cabrera went hitless in nine at-bats in his return to the Yankees after fracturing his left ankle on a slide at home in Seattle in May 2025.

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