On Thursday, bad news struck the New York Yankees.
Veteran left-hander Carlos Rodon, who the team signed to a six-year, $162 million contract this past offseason, will be starting the 2023 season on the injured list thanks to a left forearm strain.
New York now has two starters who will be out for Opening Day.
The other is right-hander Frankie Montas, who was acquired last summer in a trade with the Oakland Athletics.
After the news broke, Rodon spoke to reporters about the issue.
The 30-year-old discussed when he started feeling the pain and what he believes his timetable will ultimately be.
Carlos Rodón talks about when he started feeling what has now been diagnosed as a left forearm muscle strain, and discusses a possible timeline for return. Rodón will start the season on the IL and is expected back sometime in April, per #Yankees GM Brian Cashman. pic.twitter.com/YJOcVBxhY5
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) March 9, 2023
Rodon says he began to feel the pain after throwing a live batting practice session alongside fellow left-hander Nestor Cortes.
The 30-year-old was adamant that he felt fine after that session, but that the pain soon began to set in.
He began to experience the issue in the days leading up to his start against the Atlanta Braves, a game in which he allowed five runs over just two innings of work and failed to record an out in the third.
Rodon says that after that start, the issue became more pressing, and he realized that it had set him back.
The left-hander was then asked to give an estimate on how long he thinks he’ll be out.
Rodon said he isn’t sure as of now and that he can’t make a prediction just yet.
However, he hopes that this won’t take too long and that he’ll be back shortly.
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