Yankees to promote pitching prospect Elmer Rodríguez for MLB debut: Source

ARLINGTON, Texas -- New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in February that he believed top pitching prospect Elmer Rodríguez had a "bright future" as an MLB starter. Rodríguez's first opportunity to prove Boone right has arrived. The Yankees will promote Rodríguez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to the majors for his debut Wednesday against the Texas Rangers, a league source told The Athletic. The 22-year-old righty's chance comes after the Yankees demoted 2024 American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil to Triple A on Sunday. Rodríguez, ranked as New York's No. 6 prospect, will likely make two starts for the Yankees before returning to the minor leagues. That's because Carlos Rodón is on track to make his season debut for the Yankees on May 10. Once Rodón completes his rehab assignment, he'll slot into Rodríguez's spot in the rotation. The Yankees could have used Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn as piggyback options instead of Rodríguez but chose not to because they don't want to burn both of their long relievers on the same day. And even though both have starting experience as recently as last season, neither of them are fully built up. Yarbrough's maximum pitch count is around 40 pitches, with Blackburn able to provide slightly more length. Promoting Rodríguez also will give the Yankees an up-close look at a pitcher who could factor into their rotation later in the season. With Gil needing to work on several issues before being reconsidered for the majors, Rodríguez has become the top option on the minor-league depth chart. Rodríguez has been effective as a starter for Scranton to begin the season. In four starts, he has a 1.27 ERA and 3.26 FIP across 21 1/3 innings pitched. Rodríguez's go-to pitch is a sinker, which has helped him generate an elite 58 percent ground-ball rate. The righty was acquired by the Yankees in a trade with the Boston Red Sox for catcher Carlos Narváez in the 2024 offseason. Narváez had a solid rookie year for the Red Sox last season as their starting catcher, but he's lost playing time to Connor Wong this year. Although it would likely take an injury for Rodríguez to have a long-term role on the major-league roster in 2026, this will be his biggest opportunity yet to show he's ready if that time comes.