Yankees Dispatch Another Starting Pitcher to Injured List
New York Yankees Left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon begins the season on the injured list due to a forearm strain.
The Yankees' pitching roster, already robust, lost another starter to the IL just three weeks before the season start.
Right-handed starter Frankie Montas underwent surgery in February to fix a torn labrum. In the best-case scenario, Montas might return late in the season, but the Yankees anticipate him to miss the entire season.
The Yankees will rest Rodon for approximately 7 to 10 days to let his forearm heal.
General manager Brian Cashman expressed hope that Carlos might return by April.
The team was cautious about Rodon's durability, given his history of Tommy John surgery. Rodon signed a six-year, $162 million contract after recovering from the surgery in 2019.
Over the last two seasons, Rodon was among the top starting pitchers in MLB, boasting a 2.67 ERA and 0.998 WHIP. He recorded a 13-5 record in 24 starts for the Chicago White Sox in 2021. Last season with the San Francisco Giants, Rodon went 14-5 in 31 starts with a career-high 178 innings pitched.
Rodon's Injury Thins Out the Rotation
The Yankees had doubts about Rodon's ability to pitch deep into the postseason. As the season hasn't started yet, Rodon will be on the Opening Day IL.
The medical staff diagnosed Rodon with a slight strain, which he insists he can still pitch with.
“I can still perform on the mound,” Rodon stated to The Athletic. “But am I giving my best performance and how long can I last if I keep going this way? I'm not here to pitch until the mid-season break. I'm here to pitch deep into October when this team needs me.”
Right-handed Gerrit Cole is the team's ace, slated to take the mound when the regular season kicks off on March 30.
Left-handed starter Nestor Cortes was the Yankees' second-best pitcher last season with a 12-4 record and 0.92 WHIP. While dealing with a hamstring injury, Cortes has yet to appear in a spring training game. The Yankees expect Cortes to recover and pitch in April. He could begin the season as the fifth starter to give him additional time to heal from his injury.
The rest of the Yankees' starting rotation includes right-handers Luis Severino, Domingo German, and Clarke Schmidt. German and Schmidt were close to cracking the starting rotation when spring training started. With Montas out for the season and Rodon on the IL, both German and Schmidt currently have spots in the starting rotation.
Betting on the Banged-up Bronx Bombers
Rodon's injury hasn't affected the futures market. The Yankees are still +750 odds to win the 2023 World Series and are the second favorite on DraftKings’ board behind the Houston Astros at +600 odds.
The Astros are +310 odds to win the AL Pennant, while the Yankees trail the World Series champions at +360.
The Yankees lead the odds to win the AL East at +110 odds, ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays (+215), Tampa Bay Rays (+380), Boston Red Sox (+1700), and the Baltimore Orioles (+2200).
DraftKings offers a popular "make the playoffs" prop bet, and the Yankees are a heavy favorite at -425 odds to reach the postseason. If you favor betting against the Yankees, they're +340 odds to miss the playoffs.
The Yankees have a projected win total of 94.5 over/under wins in 2023. Last season, the Yankees were 99-63 and had the second-highest win total in the American League behind the Astros with 106 wins.
DraftKings offers a prop bet called "win bands," where you can wager on a band of regular-season wins. The Yankees have a 92-97 win band set at +245 odds, an 86-91 win band at +265, 85 or fewer wins at +330, and a 98-103 win band at +390. A long shot on the board is 104 or more wins for the Yankees at +600.
Right fielder Aaron Judge signed a massive contract to stay with the Yankees. His new contract is worth $360 million for the next nine seasons. Judge earned a substantial pay raise after he hit 62 home runs last season, setting a new franchise single-season record.
DraftKings assigned Judge a projected total of 45.5 o/u home runs this season.
