The Yankees' pitching rotation could have more struggles ahead after Carlos Rodon exited Sunday afternoon's game with an apparent injury.
The New York Yankees pitching rotation is in flux. Although Nestor Cortes returned from the 60-day IL and had a solid outing, the rotation has had more downs than ups in the past week.
The team lost Domingo German to the restricted list for the rest of the season as he receives treatment for alcohol abuse. Luis Severino had another disastrous performance. Now, they're faced with another setback. Left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon exited Sunday's game with a leg injury.
Rodon missed the first three months of the season with a forearm injury. He has struggled so far in New York since coming off the IL. Through six starts, he holds a 7.33 ERA.
Carlos Rodon's injury complicates the Yankees' rotation
Rodon was having another poor outing on Sunday afternoon prior to being pulled in the third inning. He gave up two home runs in 2.2 innings. Rodon exited to the boos he's grown accustomed to from the Yankee Stadium crowd. Jhony Brito took over in relief following Rodon's injury.
The game broadcast provided an update in the fourth inning, revealing Rodon exited with left hamstring tightness. The severity of Rodon's injury is unclear, and he'll need further testing. The organization hopes that Rodon won't need to miss significant time, as that would complicate their rotation situation.
Recently, there have been talks that it might be best to shift Luis Severino to the bullpen. If Rodon goes on the IL, that plan would likely be out of the question. The Yankees could've turned to Brito to fill Severino's slot in the rotation, but he might need to take Rodon's place instead. If this is the case, Severino would need to remain in the rotation alongside Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, and Clarke Schmidt.
The Yankees have relied on their pitching a lot this year, considering how much their offense has struggled. Losing Rodon right after getting Cortes back would be a huge blow. If he doesn't miss time, the team desperately needs him to find his way. An unstable pitching rotation is bad news for a team that is clinging to the hope of grabbing an AL Wild Card spot.
The rest of the rotation needs to keep things moving to absorb the loss of German and the struggles of Severino and Rodon. Luckily, Yankees ace Cole has been nothing short of phenomenal this season. He's the frontrunner for the AL Cy Young Award. Cortes is back and looked strong in his first start off the IL. Schmidt has gone 14 starts in a row without allowing more than three runs.
Rodon's time in New York has been underwhelming so far. Fans are waiting for him to turn things around. The Yankees will need their pitchers to perform down the stretch to keep them within striking distance in the Wild Card race.