'Just an honor': Rodón gets Opening Day nod for Yankees

TAMPA, Fla. -- Carlos Rodón will start the Yankees' season opener against the Brewers on March 27 at Yankee Stadium, manager Aaron Boone announced on Friday.

Rodón inherits the assignment from ace Gerrit Cole, who will miss the 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery performed earlier this week in Los Angeles.

“I feel really good about giving him the ball,” Boone said before the Yankees’ Grapefruit League game Friday night against the Phillies at George M. Steinbrenner Field. “He’s in the right frame of mind and throwing the ball well. I’m excited to do it, and then at the end of the day, it’s just the first.”

It is the second career Opening Day assignment for Rodón, who accepted those honors for the White Sox in 2019, taking the loss in a 5-3 decision at Kansas City.

“Just an honor; I’m excited,” Rodón said. “I just want to go out there and win the game. Honestly, it’s just the first game of the season and another baseball game.”

This is the third season in pinstripes for Rodón, 32, who signed a six-year, $162 million contract prior to the 2022 season and is coming off a campaign in which he posted career highs in wins (16) and starts (32).

Overall, Rodón posted a 16-9 record and 3.96 ERA, striking out 195 and walking 57 batters in 175 innings. His strikeouts and innings pitched marked the second-highest totals of his career, trailing only his 237 strikeouts and 178 innings for the Giants in 2022.

“It was quite the journey, for sure,” Rodón said. “Some ups and downs. You just had to change up the mix a little bit and rely on some offspeed and have a little more pitchability.”

This spring, Rodón has permitted six runs and nine hits across 5 1/3 exhibition innings (10.13 ERA), with three walks and five strikeouts. He is scheduled to start Saturday against the Rays in Port Charlotte, Fla.

“I think the stuff’s been there,” Boone said. “He’s had another good winter coming off last winter, which was excellent. I feel like his arsenal continues to evolve; the secondary stuff is getting stronger and stronger. The changeup is becoming a real factor for him now. I feel like he’s doing a good job with both of the breaking balls. The stuff and the shape with the four-seam has been there. He’s in a good spot.”

Max Fried is lined up to pitch the season’s second game on March 29, Boone said. The left-hander signed an eight-year, $218 million contract with the Yankees this past December. Boone said the timing of Cole’s injury made it “really tough” to engineer a schedule that would have given the ball to Fried on Opening Day.

“We would have had to remove a spring start to make it line up, and I certainly didn’t want to do that,” Boone said. “Carlos should be built for it, and I’m excited to give him the ball.”

Cole had started four consecutive Opening Days for the Yankees from 2020-23. Nestor Cortes drew the assignment last March 28 at Houston due to Cole’s right elbow injury.

“Listen, it’s the Bronx Zoo. I love Yankee Stadium,” Rodón said. “Unfortunately, the last game we played there was Game 5 of the World Series, which was also electric. The outcome was not, but it’s always a great atmosphere.”