Yankees' Carlos Rodon to start season on injured list after signing $162 million deal in offseason

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The injury bug just continues to hit the New York Yankees.

Left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon will start the season on the injured list with a forearm strain in his throwing arm just months after signing a lucrative free agent deal.

The Yankees inked Rodon to a six-year, $162 million contract in December to sure up what was already a stout rotation alongside Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Luis Severino.

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Carlos Rodón after a press conference at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 22, 2022, in the Bronx, New York. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)

The Bombers, including Rodon, do not seem too worried about the injury, though. Rather, they just want to make sure Rodon can be a full-go when the Yanks need him most.

"I could go out there and perform," Rodon told reporters on Thursday. "But am I performing at my best and how long am I going to last throughout the season if I continue down this road? 

"I'm not here to pitch until the All-Star break. I’m here to pitch well into October. If this was down the stretch, yeah, I would be going for sure. If it's Oct. 5 or the ALDS, I'm taking the ball."

General manager Brian Cashman said Rodon could return in April "in a perfect world" – he will be shut down for at least the next seven days.

Carlos Rodón of the New York Yankees throws during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Feb. 20, 2023, in Tampa, Florida.  (New York Yankees/Getty Images)

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Rodon finished in sixth place in the NL Cy Young Award vote last year as a San Francisco Giant after a fifth-place finish in the AL vote in 2021 – he was named an All-Star in both seasons.

Injuries, however, are not unfamiliar for Rodon. Last season was the first time in the lefty's career he was able to rack up at least 30 starts, and he made just 43 from 2017 to 2020 (the latter season was the COVID-shortened season, but he still missed time after starting only seven times in 2019).

But he turned his career around in 2021. Since the start of that year, Rodon ranks first in K/9 (12.2) and FIP (fielding independent pitching, 2.42), fifth in ERA (2.67) and seventh in WHIP (1.00) (min. 200 innings). In his 31 starts in 2022, he pitched to a 2.88 ERA, yet his 2.25 FIP, and 12.0 K/9 were both the best marks in baseball.

New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon throws during practice before a spring training game against the Detroit Tigers at Steinbrenner Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Feb. 27, 2023. (J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images)

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Frankie Montas, whom the Yanks acquired at last year's trade deadline, will miss most of the season after shoulder surgery, as well, so 40% of the planned Opening Day rotation won't even be on the roster.