Leading off yesterday’s doubleheader, Carlos Rodón pitched like a man who had something to prove. In a way, he does. He may be asked to step aside if the club needs a three-man rotation for a potential Wild Card series next week, widely viewed as the fourth guy sitting outside the Yankees’ Big 3 in their rotation, Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, and Gerrit Cole. Rodón’s also had to answer doubts all year as he’s dealt with numerous injuries, starting the season on the IL after offseason elbow surgery and a hamstring injury in spring training, before hitting the IL again with elbow inflammation over the summer. He’s been nails through it all, posting a 2.67 ERA in 16 starts, saving his best for last in the form of an eight-inning masterpiece Tuesday afternoon.
Rodón’s performance forces some interesting questions for the Yankees, particularly when it comes to their strategy should they face the Red Sox in a best-of-three. How should the Yankees deploy Rodón next week?
First off, you can make a compelling argument that they should just start the man. By any measure, he’s been the club’s third-best starter this season, behind Schlittler and Fried and ahead of Cole. Cole has been more durable throughout the season, but Rodón’s been in better form down the stretch, posting a 1.89 ERA in seven starts since coming off the IL a second time. Why not just roll with the hot hand?
The Yankees seem likely to go with Cole, preferring to defer to both Cole’s extensive track record and status over Rodón’s superior recent performance, a decision that’s both debatable and reasonable. Should that be their move, the strategic implications run deeper.
They could use Rodón in something of a piggyback role, letting him eat multiple innings in support of one of their top starters (perhaps Cole, the team’s shakiest starter lately?). They could let him air it out in a one-inning relief role for one series, or even deploy him as a lefty specialist, choosing to bring him in if and when the opposing lineup presents a lane of left-handed hitters.
It’s not at all a simple decision, in no small part because there’s another plausible idea here: keep him in reserve for a potential ALDS. If the Yankees burn all four of their top starters in some fashion in the ALWC, they’d be forced to start Will Warren in Game 1 of the ALDS should they advance. The difference between Rodón and Warren isn’t exactly massive, and Warren has been strong down the stretch as well, but saving Rodón for the ALDS allows the Yankees to ensure that every game is started by one of their top four pitchers.
It’s a complicated calculus; every tactical decision you make in one postseason game or series has major strategic consequences on every future game and series. Rodón could be an extra relief weapon in a Wild Card series, he could be held in reserve for a future series, and you could even argue he should just start against Boston. What do you think? What should the Yankees do with Rodón?
On the site this morning, Matt reviews Tuesday night’s American League action, and John ruminates on Moneyball, the movie, released on this day 15 years ago. Later, Jonathan’s entry in our Yankees Birthday series features a fan favorite from a bygone era, Joba Chamberlain, and Josh discusses Aaron Judge’s calf injury, and the Yankees’ continued reluctance to be forthright whenever Judge gets hurt.
Today’s Matchup:
New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: Amazon Prime Video, Rays.TV
Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
