Carlos Rodon is available out of the bullpen for the Yankees in the Wild Card Series. Aaron Boone confirmed the plan Sunday, as reported by Chris Kirschner . For a pitcher who made every one of his 16 appearances this season as a starter, the assignment deserves some thought.
I don't want to see Rodon sitting out there until a game is already out of reach. If Boone trusts his stuff, use him when the score is close. An early call could be the difference between protecting a lead and asking the offense to dig out of another deficit.
The Yankees have Cam Schlittler , Max Fried and Gerrit Cole lined up for the series. Rodon doesn't need to squeeze into that order to contribute. He can give Boone a second starting-caliber arm within a game, provided the workload and warm-up are planned properly.
Carlos Rodon pitches against the Rays on September 22. Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Rodon finished the regular season with a 2.67 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 84 1/3 innings. He struck out 91 batters and held opponents to a .173 average. Those numbers make it hard to justify saving him exclusively for a blowout.
The strikeouts are the biggest reason I like this. A reliever entering with men on base often needs an out without a ball in play. Rodon struck out 26.8% of the hitters he faced this season, giving him a real way to handle that assignment without depending on a grounder finding a glove.
A couple of innings could also keep Boone from needing a different reliever for every inning after the starter leaves. That matters in a short series, especially if the first game demands more bullpen work than expected.
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There is a catch: Rodon walked 38 hitters, an 11.2% walk rate. Bringing him into an inning with two runners aboard carries more risk than handing him a clean inning. The low batting average against doesn't make those free passes disappear.
My preference would be to have him ready for a clean inning when a starter is tiring, rather than waiting for the bases to fill. That gives Rodon room to establish his command and gives Boone a better chance to get multiple innings from him. This is my usage argument, not an inning-by-inning plan the manager has announced.
Nor should anyone assume his fastball gets harder simply because he's pitching in relief. The role changes his preparation; it doesn't automatically change his pitches.
Boone will have to judge the game in front of him. If the starter is losing command in a close fifth inning, though, I would rather make an aggressive move to Rodon than wait for the next two hitters to make the decision for him.
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