The Yankees’ investment in Carlos Rodón is not producing solid early returns — far from it, actually.
New York signed the left-hander in the offseason, and on the rare occasions he’s been able to take the ball, it has been a disaster. Rodón had his worst start of the season Wednesday, allowing six runs on four hits while walking five in the Yankees’ 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels as the Halos swept away the Yanks.
In Rodón’s defense, it’s not like there are many performances to choose from. Wednesday was just his third start of the season after he missed all of April, May and June with a forearm issue and then a back problem. He has allowed 12 runs in 14 2/3 innings over those three starts.
So, yeah, it hasn’t exactly been the best start to a six-year, $162 million deal.
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Adding insult to injury, it seems Rodón is already feeling the heat in the crucible that is New York baseball. The Yankees obviously travel well and are especially well-represented in Southern California. As Rodón exited the mound in the fifth inning Wednesday, he heard it from New York fans near the dugout and proceeded to blow a sarcastic kiss at the so-called supporters.
That led to a tough lesson for Rodón to learn about playing in New York, as he woke up to his kiss being plastered on the back page of the New York Post with the headline “Kiss A$$,” for what the tabloid labeled as “thin skin and no command” in the losing performance.
Frustration is really starting to mount for the Bombers. Wednesday’s loss was the fourth straight for the last-place Yankees, who are now 1-5 since the All-Star break. Anthony Rizzo recently acknowledged the club has hit a low point and Rodón wasn’t the only one struggling to keep his cool, as evidenced by reliever Tommy Kahnle’s meltdown on a different kind of fan. Add it all up, and Yankees fans are fed up with what they’ve seen from Aaron Boone’s team.
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As for Rodón, he’s got plenty of time to figure it out. The 30-year-old is signed through 2028, at a paltry $27 million per season.
Featured image via Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Images
