The loss of Ryan Weathers, at least as a starter, puts a bit more pressure on each Yankees rotation member.
Including Carlos Rodón, whose on-the-fly buildup is going well if not perfectly.
Rodón was “good enough,” in his words, for four innings of an 8-3 win over the Blue Jays in The Bronx on Sunday, when he stretched out to 76 pitches.
Of that total, just 42 were strikes and he walked a pair. Against a Toronto lineup that is known for its contact abilities, Rodón recorded just four swings and misses and struck out two.
But he allowed only a pair of runs (one earned) while letting up just two hits and came away happy with his stuff and his arm as he returns from an IL stint for elbow inflammation.
“It’s good,” Rodón said of his stuff, his fastball matching his season average of 94.4 mph and inducing a few whiffs with his slider. “Obviously there’s some things I want to refine and obviously be in the [strike] zone a little more, crisper with strikes and just attacking and getting ahead.
“So there’s some things I can work on.”
If next-level command is his goal, he should have a month-plus to hone it.
Sunday, he was burned by a third-inning walk to No. 8 hitter Charles McAdoo, who raced around the bases on a Myles Straw double and then scored on a Brett Bateman sacrifice fly.
And he was burned by a potential double play that George Lombard Jr. could not convert. The young shortstop appeared to glance toward second base before gloving a hard grounder from Ernie Clement, and the ball bounded out of his glove. Instead of a potential frame-ending double play, the Blue Jays had the bases loaded with one out. Daz Cameron’s sacrifice fly scored a run.
“I think he’s in a really good place,” manager Aaron Boone said of Rodón. “I think his stuff physically is where it needs to be and hopefully he just continues to get a little bit sharper as he does build up here.”
As the Yankees moved Weathers (flexor strain) to the injured list, they called up Brendan Beck, who had been scratched from his start with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.
Yet Beck is not officially set to join the rotation. The Yankees are listing Will Warren as Tuesday’s starter and TBA on Wednesday before Gerrit Cole on Thursday.
Top prospect Elmer Rodríguez owns a 1.38 ERA in his past five starts.
“We’ll see how the next several days play out,” Boone said of his Wednesday starter. “Obviously Elmer down there could factor in. Brendan Beck’s up here today.”
Clarke Schmidt, building up from Tommy John surgery and past a forearm issue, is expected to throw a live batting practice Tuesday.
If that goes well, Schmidt would begin a rehab assignment that would end with his joining the Yankees bullpen.
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Cody Bellinger went 1-for-4 with a run scored in his return.
“Felt really good,” Bellinger said after a four-week absence with a hamstring strain. “Honestly felt 100 percent.”
