When Will Carlos Rodon Return From Injury? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

The New York Yankees signed 30-year-old southpaw Carlos Rodon in December on a whopping six-year, $162-million contract. Forearm troubles in Spring Training paired with some chronic back issues have kept the two-time All Star on the Injured List for the beginning of 2023, but his return appears to be drawing near.

Let's take a deeper look at Rodon's injury situation to figure out when he should return, what the Yankees will ask of their big signing when he does take the mound, and how fantasy managers should handle the swing-and-miss specialist on their rosters.

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Carlos Rodon Injury Update

Rodon has been able to calm any back trouble while his forearm issues have subsided, and he's successfully made two rehab starts en route to his return to a Yankees rotation that could use a lefty presence now that Nestor Cortes has been placed on the Injured List. The former Giant allowed just two hits, one walk, and two runs in his seven combined innings of work while striking out nine Double-A hitters. Rodon is slated for one more rehab start on Saturday, July 1st where he'll likely try to get through at least four frames.

Reports suggest that Rodon's big return to the Majors could come on July 7th when the Yanks host the Chicago Cubs. Manager Aaron Boone says he plans to limit Rodon in that start, if all goes well, to around 60 pitches. It should be noted, however, that any hiccups in this plan could easily lead to Rodon returning after the All-Star Break, which runs from July 10th through New York's next game on July 14th.

Carlos Rodon Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Obviously a limited pitch count is going to make it very difficult for Rodon to provide immediate fantasy value to his managers who have waited so patiently for his return. However, it's encouraging to see him still racking up strikeouts in bunches, which has always been his best quality as a fantasy starting pitcher.

It's fair to expect a similar K/9 rate of about 12, which Rodon has hovered around each of his last two years. I would also expect Rodon to continue keeping balls in the park, even in a hitter-friendly venue like Yankee Stadium. If all goes well, I would think the southpaw will be throwing 95-100 pitches in his outings by his 3rd or 4th start, which should line up to be the end of July.

Assuming health, which unfortunately is an optimistic assumption with Rodon's growing career injury report, we should get two months of pure, unadulterated All-Star level pitching from the Yanks' big signing. That being said, if someone is going to trade you a staff ace on a playoff team with no pitch limitations and a 10 K/9 rate or better, I'd be on board with selling Rodon. I see him settling in somewhere around the 20th best starting pitcher in the months of August and September, but the limitations and injury potential need to be factored in.

If you've waited this long for the return of a potential ace with massive strikeout potential AND you're in the top half of your standings... Congratulations! Let's see how this plays out. If you are desperate for any kind of consistency and could really used a trustworthy ace on your staff for the second half of the season to make a miracle run, throw some feelers out and see if you can trade Rodon for a healthy, proven ace while his name is buzzing.

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