Carlos Rodón hasn’t yet been the impactful starter the Yankees were hoping for when they signed him to a six-year, $162 million contract after the 2022 season.
Last year, the 31-year-old southpaw dealt with injuries that limited him to just 14 starts — and he went 3-8 with a 6.85 ERA.
But Rodón’s former teammate, Lance Lynn, is optimistic about the veteran starter’s upcoming 2024 campaign.
“Knowing Carlos and knowing when Carlos is in a good headspace, and when he feels good and doing his thing, my man is one of the best competitors that you can have,” Lynn, who played with Rodón on the White Sox in 2021, said on “Foul Territory” Thursday. “We all know that New York is a different beast. I think that you see a lot of guys kind of take that next step Year Two when you get there. He had a bad start and he was hurt to start the year, trying to come back trying to do this and that, it was just things snowballed on him. And I think when things snowball on you and you just signed $160 million deal and all that, you feel the pressure. But he wants to be great.
“He’s put every effort that he can do a rebound from that. … My man is a bulldog on the mound. And you know if he’s right, he’s he’s one of the best lefties in the game, for sure.”
Last month, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman spoke optimistically about Rodón and his offseason work.
“The feedback I’m getting is really good,” Cashman told reporters. “His arm action is good. He looks like he obviously worked his tail off. Very optimistic that Rodón can return to form (and) be the pitcher that we know he’s capable of being.”