'Just an honor': Rod¨®n 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.

Rod¨®n 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 Rod¨®n, 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,¡± Rod¨®n 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 Rod¨®n, 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, Rod¨®n 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,¡± Rod¨®n 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, Rod¨®n 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,¡± Rod¨®n 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.¡±