Yankees' Carlos Rodon cruises in second rehab start
Yankees LHP Carlos Rodon made his second rehab start in Sunday's game with Double-A Somerset, and he took another step toward his New York debut.
Rodon pounded the zone, throwing 36 strikes on 48 pitches and firing a one-hitter through four scoreless innings of Somerset's matinee with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats -- the Toronto Blue Jays' Double-A affiliate.
"Today was really good," Rodon said. "I feel like that was pretty close to normal. I have a feeling, when I step in a big-league stadium, it'll be plus two or three on the velo and I'll have to kind of contain myself. Today, I was kind of trying to contain myself and stick in the zone with heaters -- not try to go. That first (inning), I was a little hot -- a little heavy with the heater, a little harder. And then I kind of backed off, especially after that longer inning with the rain and stuff. I knew I had to gradually build up there.
"So, yeah, I think I feel ready -- that's kind of a decision that we have to speak about and where I fall in the rotation and where in the schedule I am."
The only knock was Rainer Nunez's leadoff double in the second inning.
Rodon rounded out his performance with four strikeouts to no walks.
"I thought it was good with the fastball, just kind of grooving fastballs, just trying to keep 'em up in the zone," Rodon said. "A couple were down. They barreled some balls. ... We wanted to work on some changeups and some curveballs and was trying to drop some curveballs in early in between frames there that second-to-third inning where it wasn't as good as the curveball. And then, in the fourth, I started finding it a little more. So it was good."
He debuted with Somerset last Tuesday against New Hampshire and allowed one run on one hit while striking out five and walking one in three innings.
"I was just kind of trying to just deploy all the pitches and be in the zone with them and just work with pitch tapes," Rodon said. "But in the past, the former schedule in the big leagues, it was -- we'd play a team six times in the division and there'd be times where we'd be back-to-back."
The 30-year-old Rodon, whom the Yankees signed Dec. 15 to a six-year contract worth $162 million, has been on the injured list since March 30 with a left forearm strain.
"Not sure yet," Rodon said when asked about when he will make his next rehab start. "We are trying to figure that out, so you'll know soon."
