Yankees lefthander Carlos Rodon goes back on IL with hamstring strain

CHICAGO — The skepticism in the baseball industry regarding the Yankees’ signing of Carlos Rodon to the deal they did last offseason had nothing to do with the pitcher as a pitcher.

It had everything to do with Rodon being able to pitch with regularity.

“Really good stuff,” one rival American League executive said over the weekend. “That’s never been [a question]. What has is his ability to stay on the field.”

The Yankees to this point haven’t seen the really good stuff consistently — though there have been flashes of it — but the latter issue has reared its head.

Again.

The lefthander, signed to a six-year, $162 million free-agent contract, started the season on the injured list with a forearm strain and, because of a setback with his back that occurred toward the end of his rehab process, did not make his season debut until July 7.

And now he’s headed back to the 15-day IL, placed there Monday with a left hamstring strain.

“It is minor, it’s a low-grade strain,” Aaron Boone said before the Yankees started a three-game series against the White Sox. “Carlos wants to pitch through it, and it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be shut down at all. Sounds like he’ll be able to continue to throw. There was some debate about possibly [pitching through it]. He certainly wants to pitch. He did not want go on the IL.”

During another disappointing outing Sunday, Rodon left the game with a cramp in the hamstring, having allowed five runs, three hits and two walks in 2 2⁄3 innings to raise his ERA to 7.33 (he’s 1-4 in six starts).

“I just felt it grab for a second,” Rodon said after Sunday’s game. “It felt like a cramp.”

Rodon fought Boone to stay in the game but was removed for precautionary reasons. Ultimately, the MRI taken Monday showed a strain, par for the course for a player who has been snakebit when it comes to injuries.

Rodon spent time on the IL (then called the disabled list) in 2016 (sprained left wrist); 2017 (bursitis in his left biceps and left shoulder inflammation later in the season); 2018 (recovering from left shoulder surgery); 2019 (left elbow inflammation that would lead to Tommy John surgery), 2020 (left shoulder inflammation) and 2021 (left shoulder fatigue).

Rodon remained healthy for most of last season and made 31 starts for the Giants, going 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA, but he missed the last few days of the year after contracting COVID-19.

“The competitor he is, he was adamant and fought going on [the IL], but we feel like it’s the right thing to do,” said Boone, who later said righthander Randy Vazquez (1-1 with a 1.17 ERA in three spot starts in 2023) is a candidate to fill Rodon’s slot.

Coming into this season, Rodon was 56-46 with a 3.60 ERA in his first eight seasons in the big leagues, the first seven of those spent with the White Sox.

The Yankees have long been enamored of Rodon, attempting multiple times over the years to pry him away from Chicago. When Rodon, 30, hit the free-agent market last offseason, he became a top target of the Yankees, and a deal was consummated on Dec. 21.

After a rough first outing of spring training in early March, Rodon was sidelined with the forearm injury. Now the Yankees again will have to wait to see if he can be the pitcher in whom they made a sizable investment.

“He’s frustrated with it, obviously,” Boone said of the IL stint. “But there’s still time for him to have a significant impact this season.”