New York Yankees Send Another Starting Pitcher to the IL

Posted on: March 9, 2023, 02:27h. 

Last updated on: March 10, 2023, 03:34h.

Pauly McGuire Read More
Expertise: Sports Betting, Sports.

The New York Yankees announced that left-handed starting pitcher Carlos Rodon will begin the season on the IL with a forearm strain.

Carlos Rodon Yankees Pitcher IL forearm left strain injury
Pitcher Carlos Rodon from the New York Yankees warms up before a spring training game in Tampa, Florida. (Image: Getty)

The Yankees headed into spring training with a deep pool of pitchers but added a second starting pitcher to the IL just three weeks before Opening Day.

Right-handed starter Frankie Montas underwent surgery in February to repair a torn labrum. In a best-case scenario, Montas could return late in the season. However, the Yankees are expecting Montas to miss the entire season.

The Yankees will shut down Rodon for a week to 10 days to allow him to rest his left forearm.

In a perfect world, Carlos is back sometime in April,” general manager Brian Cashman told reporters on Thursday.

The Yankees knew they were gambling on Rodon, who had Tommy John surgery a few seasons ago. Rodon inked a six-year contract worth $162 million after he bounced back from surgery in 2019.

Over the last two seasons, Rodon was one of the premier starting pitchers in baseball with a 2.67 ERA and 0.998 WHIP. He posted 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 Injury Shrinks Rotation Depth

The Yankees had some concerns about Rodon’s durability and if he could pitch deep into the postseason. With the season yet to begin, Rodon will be on the Opening Day IL.

The training staff diagnosed Rodon with a mild strain, which he insists he can still pitch with.

“I could go out there and perform,” Rodon told The Athletic. “But am I performing at my best and how long am I going to last if I continue down this road? I’m not here to pitch through the All-Star break. I’m here to pitch to well into October when this team needs me.”

Right-handed Gerrit Cole is the team ace, and he’s slated to take the mound when the regular season begins 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 nursing a hamstring injury, Cortes has yet to appear in a spring training game. The Yankees expect Cortes to be ready to pitch in April. He could begin the season as the fifth starter to give him extra time to recover from his injury.

The rest of the Yankees’ starting rotation includes a trio of righties: Luis Severino, Domingo German, and Clarke Schmidt. German and Schmidt were on the verge of bubbling the starting rotation when spring training began. With Montas out for the season and Rodon on the IL, both German and Schmidt currently have spots in the starting rotation.

Betting the Banged-Up Bronx Bombers

Rodon’s injury hasn’t impacted 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 American League pennant, and the Yankees are right behind the World Series champions at +360.

The Yankees are the favorite to win the AL East at +110 odds. They’re ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays (+215), Tampa Bay Rays (+380), Boston Red Sox (+1700), and the Baltimore Orioles (+2200).

DraftKings is offering a popular “make the playoffs” prop bet and the Yankees are a big favorite at -425 odds to advance to the postseason. If you want to fade 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-most victories in the American League behind the Astros with 106 wins.

DraftKings listed a prop bet called “win bands,” where you can wager on a band of final 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. The long shot on the board is 104 or more wins for the Yankees at +600.

Right fielder Aaron Judge signed a massive contract to remain in the Bronx with the Yankees. His new contract is worth $360 million for the next nine seasons. Judge earned a gigantic raise after he smacked 62 home runs last season, which set a new franchise single-season record.

DraftKings assigned Judge a projected total of 45.5 o/u home runs this season.