CARLOS RODON IS MAKING IT RIGHT

When Carlos Rodón signed with the Yankees, I was practically high-fiving strangers in the street. The guy was a bulldog — a fire-breathing lefty with wipeout stuff and an edge sharp enough to cut through subway steel. Sure, he was coming off an injury, but hey, this is New York — we like our stars a little bruised, a little battle-tested. I thought we were getting instant returns. A perfect fit. A guy built for the Bronx.

Then the season actually started.

And Rodón? Man, the guy looked like he’d never seen a mound before. Lost. Flat. Out of sync. He wasn’t just struggling — he looked like a tourist who got off at the wrong stop and couldn’t find his way back to Yankee Stadium. I was confused. Embarrassed for him. Honestly? I thought we’d made a $162 million mistake. I couldn’t believe what I was watching. The fire wasn’t there. The rhythm was gone. And when you start doing math on that contract while watching your “ace” give up batting practice in real time — yeah, it gets dark fast.

I knew he had it in him — we all did — but he was buried under layers of mechanical issues, pressure, and whatever else was rattling around in his head.

And now? Different story. The dude’s dealing.

With Gerrit Cole still healing up and Max Fried leading the staff like a Viking war chief, Rodón has stepped up like a true No. 2. He's 7-3 with a 2.60 ERA, and I’m here for every second of it. He’s pounding the zone, mixing pitches like a mad scientist, and — dare I say — looking like the guy we thought we were getting in the first place.

Jon Heyman caught up with Rodón recently and asked him about that bumpy ride in 2023. The answer? Surprisingly raw and real.

“That first year was rough,” Rodón admitted. “We had our son, Silo — a blessing — and honestly, he made it easier. I’d come home, forget baseball, just focus on being a dad. But those drives home were long, man. A lot of time in my own head. Just asking, ‘Why can’t I fix this?’ I wish I was better back then. I wasn’t. I had to evolve.”

And evolve he did.

Rodón explained that without the struggles, he never would've added new pitches to his arsenal. “If it was easy, I’d still just be tossing fastball-slider 50/50. Now, I’m more complete.”

That’s the beauty of the battle, right? Adversity isn’t just a test — it’s a blueprint. And Rodón studied the hell out of his.

Look, watching a player you believe in flail around on the mound is like watching your favorite band forget the lyrics. You want to cover your eyes, but you can’t look away. As a fan, I was mad — furious, even. But Rodón didn’t pack it in. He leveled up. He fixed it. And he’s paying it off — for himself, his family, and yeah, for us too.

So here’s to the comeback. Here’s to growth. And here’s to No. 55, finally looking like the Bronx Bomber we signed up for.

Let’s ride, Carlos.