Coming off a workhorse season for the Yankees, Carlos Rodón will be sidelined for the start of 2026.
The left-hander underwent an elbow scope Wednesday to remove loose bodies and shave down a bone spur, which will land him on the injured list to start the regular season, Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone said Thursday.
The surgery, performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, comes with an eight-week shutdown from throwing.
“When you build in the ramp-up and throwing program into getting him ready to be a starting pitcher, probably delays him potentially a couple weeks to start the season,” Boone said. “But everything went well [Wednesday].”
Cashman said that if Rodón does not encounter any issues in his recovery, he could return some time in April or early May.
Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon, seen here during Game 3 of the ALDS, underwent an elbow procedure on Wednesday. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The Yankees rotation was projected to be an area of strength heading into next season, but at least initially it will be without Rodón, who posted a 3.09 ERA across 195 ¹/₃ innings. His final start was less encouraging, getting tagged for six runs across 2 ¹/₃ innings in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Blue Jays.
Rodón will join rotation mates Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt on the IL to begin the year, the duo recovering from Tommy John surgery. That leaves their in-house rotation options as Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Luis Gil.
Cole is expected to throw off the mound next week for the first time before deloading into the offseason. Boone said he could begin facing hitters at some point during spring training, and though he won’t be ready by Opening Day, his return would be “hopefully not too far after.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone speaks to reporters at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 16, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Aaron Judge will not need surgery on his right elbow, as The Post reported last week.
The Yankees captain underwent an MRI exam after the season ended, which showed improved healing from the flexor strain he sustained in July and played through over the final two months. His arm strength was not the same initially, but he looked more like himself by the playoffs.
Boone said he expects Judge to be the right fielder next season.
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“He’ll take some time off and continue to do strengthening things and rehab and stuff,” Boone said. “But felt like he finished the season in a pretty good place as we saw continued improvements with him.”
Giancarlo Stanton, who missed the start of the season due to tendinitis in both elbows and eventually played through it, is not expected to need any procedures this offseason.
“He’s in a pretty good place,” Boone said. “He’ll treat it and everything, but nothing expected for Big G.”