'A mixed bag' for Rodón, who's looking to regain his swagger

TAMPA, Fla. – The bookends looked pretty much the same to Carlos Rodón, who backed off the mound and watched both his first and final pitches of Wednesday’s outing sail over the wall in right-center field, tucked into someone’s pockets as a souvenir.

In a spring when the left-hander is aiming to make everyone forget about last year, those blasts surrendered to Yandy Díaz and Richie Palacios were less-than-ideal reminders. Rodón called his performance in the Yankees’ 4-3 Grapefruit League loss to the Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field “a mixed bag.”

“It’s one of those days that you’ve got to be able to pitch without the fastball and kind of use some other things,” Rodón said. “That was good to feel that, in a game that no one really gives a [crap] about, because it doesn’t matter. It’s Spring Training.”

Rodón was charged with three runs over three-plus innings, serving up Díaz’s leadoff blast and Palacios’ two-run shot in the fourth, coming on Rodón’s 60th pitch of the afternoon. The effort followed a simulated game last week in which Rodón surrendered four home runs to a group of Minor Leaguers.

Spring statistics are written in pencil, but coming off an injury-marred 2023 season that saw Rodón post a 3-8 record with a 6.85 ERA in 14 starts, the 31-year-old says he is using the exhibition slate to regain confidence.

“I’m trying to build it back up,” Rodón said. “To end on a homer doesn’t really help, the last two starts, to be honest with you. I’m trying to find that confidence again and that swagger. That’s a part of who I am on the mound.”

Rodón noted that his velocity was down on Wednesday; according to Statcast, he ranged between 91.2 mph and 94.8 mph, averaging 93.2 mph.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Rodón is healthy, but he will probably pitch with six days’ rest his next turn through the rotation, allowing him extra recovery time.

“He’s laid an awesome foundation this winter, coming in a better spot [physically],” Boone said. “Focus on going to the post every fifth or sixth day. I feel like if he does that and keeps doing the things physically to be ready to go, the results will be there. His stuff should be there, and we’ve seen it for the most part this spring.”

As Rodón enters the second year of a six-year, $162 million contract, the Yankees are encouraging him to expand his arsenal this spring. They hope to plant doubt in the minds of hitters who looked far too comfortable expecting fastballs and sliders from him last year.

At the urging of catcher Luis Torrens, Rodón tossed six curveballs, five cutters and five changeups in Wednesday’s outing, while mainly relying on his fastball (26) and slider (18). Díaz and Randy Arozarena were both retired on cutters in the third inning.

“I think it’s coming,” Torrens said of Rodón’s cutter. “It’s a good pitch; good movement. We talked a little bit before the game. He usually throws a lot of fastballs, and now with the cutter, that’s a pitch you can take the hitters a little bit off the fastball.”

Though Rodón’s game plan will still mostly be fastball-slider, Boone said that the lesson he hopes Rodón will take away is that “you’re not going to be able to overwhelm people all the time.”

“There are going to be days, we believe, that he’ll go out there with big stuff,” Boone said. “But you’re not always going to. On those days, being able to have something else you can go to, hopefully it’s something that serves him well now and moving forward in his career.”

And if so, Rodón hopes that he will reintroduce himself to the Yankees’ fan base, showcasing the talent that he flashed during his consecutive All-Star seasons with the White Sox (2021) and Giants ('22).

“I just need to stay on the mound. That’s it,” Rodón said. “I’m pretty good at this game when I’m healthy.”