Carlos Rodón strengthens case for Yankees playoff rotation shuffle in dominant outing vs. Rays

As the New York Yankees look ahead to the postseason, they have some big questions about their starting rotation. Trouble has been brewing of late when it comes to the reliability of Gerrit Cole. Carlos Rodón, who recently suffered a dip in velocity, didn't look like the best version of himself the last time through the rotation, either. Rodón has been good overall in his last few starts, but Yankees fans were still looking for more certainty entering Tuesday.

As such, the first leg of Tuesday's double-header against the Tampa Bay Rays -- which Rodón started -- gave the veteran left-hander an opportunity to perform admirably and give the Yankees and their fanbase some peace of mind. And that's exactly what Rodón did.

Carlos Rodón just turned in a stellar start against the Rays as the postseason sits around the corner

If this is the version of Rodón that'll show up in October, the Yankees can't leave him out of their postseason plans. Rodón threw eight scoreless innings against the AL East-leading Rays, tallying eight strikeouts and allowing just three hits (all singles). He also didn't walk a soul. It was a statement performance that had Yankee Stadium buzzing.

It was a also a start for full of statistical milestones for Rodón. The win marked the 100th of his career, and Rodón also reached 1,500 career strikeouts with a slider in the eighth inning that had Jonny DeLuca looking helpless.

Rodón's excellence on Tuesday passed the eye test. His fastball was sharp and accurate. He was throwing first-pitch strikes on the regular, and he got into a rhythm in which he retired 10 batters in a row at one point.

Perhaps Rodón is kicking into high gear at the perfect time. His 2026 debut was delayed due to elbow surgery, and then inflammation cost him more time. But despite the concerning dip in velocity of late, Rodón has been really good since mid-August when you zoom out: 3-1 with a 1.89 ERA over his last seven starts.

The Yankees might need to consider Carlos Rodón for the ALWC

New York obviously hasn't announced its plan for the AL Wild Card Series, but it's beginning to feel like Rodón will be in consideration for one of the three games of the expected series battle against the Boston Red Sox.

While Cam Schlittler and Max Fried are all but likely locked in for two of the games, might the Yankees choose Rodón over Cole for the third? If he's looking like this (and with Cole looking subpar), it's a conversation. Boone has hinted that Cole will get a start, but he might need to change his thinking after today. Rodón at the moment looks like a hot hand that the Yankees can ride into the ALDS.

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