Carlos Rodon, Yanks ready for his much-anticipated debut Friday

From the time he signed in late December, Carlos Rodon has talked about embracing all that comes with being a Yankee.

Primarily, the spotlight associated with the expectation of winning.

The lefthander, at last, gets a taste of it Friday night.

Rodon, signed to a six-year, $162 million contract — a deal that surprised many in the industry given the lefthander’s extensive injury history — is set to make his Yankees debut against the Cubs at the Stadium.

“I know he’s, on some level, chomping at the bit to get out there,” Aaron Boone said Thursday before his team finished a four-game series against the Orioles. “Wants to get out there, wants to help. I think he feels a sense of responsibility, which I’ve sensed, which I love, but most important, I feel like physically he’s in a good spot to go out there and be Carlos Rodon.”

A healthy Carlos Rodon has shown top-of-the rotation qualities in his career. The 30-year-old is 56-46 with a 3.60 ERA in eight big-league seasons, including 2022 when he went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA with the Giants.

But injuries have always been a part of the resume, too, the most recent setback the forearm strain Rodon suffered after his first start of the spring, an injury that put him on the 60-day injured list to start the year.

“I signed a big contract and I know what I signed up for,” Rodon told Newsday Monday, two days after making his third and final rehab appearance. “I definitely have a duty to do well on the field. Obviously, this first half, I wasn’t part of it at all, which is frustrating for me. It’s frustrating for the fans, it’s frustrating for my teammates. But I feel like all I can worry about is what’s in front of me, not what’s behind.”

Rodon, who will be on a pitch count in the 70-80 range Friday after throwing 58 pitches Saturday with High-A Hudson Valley, shined overall during his rehab assignment, allowing one run, three hits and three walks over 10 2/3 innings in which he struck out 17.

“I think he’s in a good spot,” Boone said. “He looks really good to me, he looks ready to me. I think he’s in that place, too. I’ve gotten the sense from him the last couple of times, he’s ready to go. Now it’s just getting built up. I’m excited to get him back in play.”

How long the 30-year-old Rodon stays in play, of course, is always the question.

The pitcher missed time in 2016 (sprained left wrist); in 2017 (bursitis in his left biceps and later in the season left shoulder inflammation); in 2018 (recovering from left shoulder surgery); in 2019 (left elbow inflammation that would lead to Tommy John surgery); in 2020 (left shoulder inflammation) and 2021 (left shoulder fatigue). Rodon did make 31 starts last season with the Giants, though he missed the last few days of the year after contracting COVID-19.

When Rodon, who features a mid to high-90s fastball, is on the mound?

Among the tougher pitchers out there.

“It’s definitely the stuff,” said catcher Kyle Higashioka, who is 0-for-5 in his career vs. Rodon and who is likely to be behind the plate Friday night. “He’s just got great stuff and he pitches in good locations with it. You’re just hoping he makes a mistake but even his mistakes sometimes are in good locations for him. It’s always really tough, especially facing a hard-throwing lefthander, you don’t see guys like that too often.”

Rodon, needless to say, has been counting down the days to his debut for a while now.

“As for excitement, I mean, I haven’t pitched all year. There’s definitely excitement leading into this game for me, so I’ve got to harness it and not be over-geeked about it and do what I have to do,” Rodon said. “I’m not really [nervous] but I’m sure I’ll get a couple butterflies, but I kind of like that when I’m pitching."

With Anthony Rieber