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(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The New York Yankees need to get through the first half of the MLB season, and then the expectation will be that manager Aaron Boone will have a healthy starting rotation.
Carlos Rodón is expected to start the 2026 MLB season on the injured list, with a return around April or May, while Gerrit Cole is projected to come back in late May or early June following his 2025 Tommy John surgery. Meanwhile, Clarke Schmidt, also recovering from Tommy John, could return in the second half of the season.
Rodón, the pitcher who could be returning just after the season starts, spoke on the Jan. 24 edition of “Foul Territory” about his road back from elbow surgery.
“I’m great,” Rodón said on the broadcast. “I’ll be back [Jan. 25] to Florida to keep throwing. So been throwing a lot lately. Just trying to, I guess, lube up this elbow joint and get it going for the season. So it took a lot of bones out, but it’s better now. And now it’s just building up.”
Moreover, the Yankees standout noted how his elbow is feeling now after the surgery.
“A lot more extension,” Rodón added. “I couldn’t really bend my elbow that very much. I couldn’t button my shirt before, so that was interesting. But now I can do that and touch my head.”
Rodón is 37-26 with an ERA of 4.00 and 462 strikeouts in 79 appearances for the Yankees in his career, per StatMuse.
Yankees Will Lean on Ryan Weathers Amid Early SP Injuries
This offseason, the Yankees made a trade for former Miami Marlins starting pitcher Ryan Weathers, who only had eight major league starts because of a flexor strain and lat strain in 2025, posting a 3.99 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 12 walks in 38 1/3 innings.
Despite the injury concern, Weathers spoke with SNY in a video posted on Jan. 15 and shared good news regarding his health as he prepares for Year 1 in the Bronx after his trade this offseason.
“I’m feeling great,” Weathers told the outlet. “Bullpen the other day, this is the best I’ve probably felt in a year and a half. I feel really healthy. I really did a dive and worked with [this] company on figuring out how to lengthen my lat out, lengthen my back out.
“We really adjusted a lot of my lifting patterns. We really adjusted my mobility and my prep. I think my arm is reaping the benefits right now, and I’m just excited to see where the season goes.”
New York Get Praise for Ryan Weathers Trade
The Yankees gave up four prospects in the deal to the Marlins, which was reportedly completed on Jan. 13. Outfielders Dillon Lewis and Brendan Jones, and infielders Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus all went to the Marlins and will continue their baseball careers in their system.
Nonetheless, is barely in the prime of his career. As a result, former MLB general manager Steve Phillips is raving over this deal for the Yankees.
“Brian Cashman has been saying all along they want to continue to look for pitching, and I love this trade for the Yankees,” Phillips said in a video posted on Jan. 13 by MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM.
“Now, again, we’ll see about the prospects and what they turn out to be, but I do like the notion of getting Ryan Weathers from the Marlins… But I like him. I like his stuff; I like his moxie. I think he’s growing and developing.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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