Yankees finally give top prospect a chance before Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón return

The New York Yankees' demotion of Luis Gil has created a void at the back of the starting rotation. Currently, only Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Ryan Weathers occupy rotation spots, with a spot starter required while the Yankees await a permanent solution.

Two things must be considered. Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole are currently on rehab assignments. Additionally, the way the schedule shakes out, the Yankees won't need a fifth starter until May 5.

Rodón is ahead of Cole as far as his progression to return to action, but he's still expected to need at least two more rehab starts. His last rehab outing came on Friday, April 24, so the timeline would mean the veteran southpaw won't be ready for a May 5 return.

That sets the Yankees up to make an exciting choice. Top prospect Elmer Rodriguez has been dominating down in Scranton, and that has motivated New York to turn to him as a placeholder, giving all of us a tantalizing sneak peek at the future.

The Yankees shockingly call up Elmer Rodriguez and avoid the boring spot-starter options

With Rodriguez now set to make the start tomorrow against the Texas Rangers, we can get an exciting look at the future, even if it seems to be short-lived. As a result, Will Warren, Wednesday's expected starter, will get bumped, and it looks like the entire rotation will enjoy an extra day of rest thanks to the move.

Through his first four starts, Rodriguez has recorded a 1.27 ERA over 21 1/3 innings. He's getting outs efficiently, striking out batters at a 25.6% clip against a 9% walk rate, while getting a healthy dose of ground balls with a 56.3% rate.

That comes on the heels of a pair of impressive spring training appearances and throwing three scoreless innings for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. Baseball America (subscription required) notes in their scouting report that the 22-year-old has a diverse arsenal with several plus pitches and that scouts have "praised him for his competitive demeanor."

Sometimes it's not a great idea to call up a top prospect with the intention of sending him right back down, but in this case, it makes a lot of sense. An immediate demotion wouldn't come as a shock to Rodriguez, and you have to think that he's relishing this opportunity due to that competitive demeanor. This will be an interesting stress test for a youngster who is on the verge of busting the door down anyway. It's a low-risk, high-reward proposition.

This is shockingly out of character for the Yankees. There's a reason why New York brought back Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn. Based on offseason chatter, they like Blackburn in the 'pen more than in the rotation, and, results-wise, it's hard to disagree with that appraisal.

Yarbrough was one of the first signings they made over the offseason, and this sort of swing-man role is what he's built for. The easy answer was to go with Yarbrough, and the Yankees are typically conservative with their top prospects, but instead, they're making the bold move and picking Rodriguez.

You can never truly know if a prospect is ready until he faces big league competition. This is that opportunity, and while one start isn't enough to make a ton of judgments, we'll be able to glean something at minimum. Moreover, it will be a treat for the fans in a way that a Yarbrough or Blackburn start wouldn't be.

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