Why exactly did the New York Yankees promote Elmer Rodriguez?
New York Yankees pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez made his big-league debut on Wednesday afternoon, allowing two runs on four hits over four innings in what ended up being a 3-0 loss to the Texas Rangers.
Some run support for the youngster would have been nice, but the Yankees' offense decided to take a vacation.
Regardless, it wasn't an overly impressive outing for Rodriguez.
Yes, he didn't get shelled, and he did show poise at various moments, but he walked four batters, and only 42 of his 80 pitches were strikes.
In fact, Aaron Boone probably left him in a couple of batters too long in the fifth inning, where Rodriguez didn't record an out before finally being pulled.
My question is, why did New York promote Rodriguez to begin with?
The Yankees sent Luis Gil down to Triple-A, so there was an open spot in the starting rotation. I get that. But Carlos Rodon is due back in probably two weeks, so Rodriguez wouldn't last very long in the rotation anyway.
So why not just hand Ryan Yarbrough the ball like last year? Why bring up Rodriguez for a couple of starts only to send him back down to the minor leagues?
New York Yankees pitcher Elmer Rodriguez. Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.The bullpen almost certainly isn't an option for the right-hander. It would be dangerous. You don't want to mess with a young starter like that. So Rodriguez is almost certainly headed back down to Triple-A once Rodon returns.
Were the Yankees just trying to showcase Rodriguez for potential trades? After all, New York is absolutely loaded with enticing arms in its farm system, and it seems rather unlikely that all of them will remain with the Yanks long term.
I completely understand that Rodriguez looks big-league ready. Through four minor-league starts this season, the 22-year-old has logged a 1.27 ERA while surrendering 12 hits and registering 20 strikeouts over 21.1 frames. He's been fantastic.
But there just isn't any room for Rodriguez — or any of the Yankees' young pitchers — in the starting rotation right now. Not with Rodon and, eventually, Gerrit Cole both making their way back into the fold.
It seems like New York is basically wasting an option on Rodriguez here. Again, unless there is some grand plan to dangle him for other ballclubs to remember before the August trade deadline, I'm not sure I understand the strategy.
Rodriguez will probably make one more start, two at the most. He'll then be sent back down to Triple-A. It just feels like an unnecessary exercise for the Bronx Bombers.
Yankees Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Yankees. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.