Carlos Rodón is raring to go.
The lefty pitcher, who underwent offseason elbow surgery in October, will make his season debut on Sunday when the Yankees face the Brewers.
And while he joked he doesn’t have the same “virgin” arm as earlier in his career, he’s nonetheless looking forward to his return.
“You never want to go under the knife,” he said before the Yankees hosted the Rangers in a series finale on Thursday. “It’s good to be at the end of the road.”
Rodón, who also underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019, said his range of motion had improved since his latest procedure in the fall.
He’s made three rehab starts since the end of last month, registering a 3.38 ERA across 16 innings. His last tuneup on Tuesday for Triple-A SWB saw him allow six earned runs in 6 ¹/₃ innings.
“I think the biggest challenge for him now has been getting that command back over the last couple of months,” manager Aaron Boone said on Thursday morning.
“Because he is freer, better range of motion, those kind of things. I’ve been pretty pleased with how sharp he’s been overall, especially his last few times.”
Boone declined to disclose the pitch count for Rodón’s return, which comes as the three-time All-Star’s fellow pitchers have been thriving for the Yankees.
Even without Rodón – and Gerrit Cole – the Pinstripes have the best team ERA in the majors as Max Fried and Cam Schlitter have excelled at the top of the rotation.
This weekend, Rodón will face the challenge of a Milwaukee team currently occupying the last NL wild-card spots.
“It was fun from the outside looking in, watching [his fellow pitchers],” Rodón said. ”But I feel a lot more comfortable on the mountain pitching.”
