Yankees' Carlos Rodon throws simulated game, set up to return from IL next week

ATLANTA — The Yankees’ beat-up rotation will soon get one of its pitchers back, though how effective he’ll be very much remains a question.

Carlos Rodon, on the IL since Aug. 7 with a left hamstring strain, threw a five-inning simulated game Wednesday at the club’s minor-league complex, setting him up for a return to the rotation sometime next week during the three-game series against the Nationals at the Stadium.

“Everything went well,” Aaron Boone said before Wednesday night’s 2-0 loss to Atlanta. “Hopefully in line to start with us coming out of that next off day [Monday] into the Washington series when he’s eligible. But obviously we’ll see how the recovering and everything goes over the next several days.”

Rodon, signed to a six-year, $162 million free-agent contract in the offseason, didn’t make his season debut until July 7 after missing the first part of the season with a left forearm strain and subsequent back injury that occurred toward the end of that rehab.

The lefthander struggled before this latest IL stint, going 1-4 with a 7.33 ERA in six starts, allowing 22 hits, including eight homers, and 18 walks in 27 innings.

Either Randy Vasquez, who started Wednesday night’s game, or Jhony Brito will likely be dropped from the rotation when Rodon returns.

Looking for a spark

Trying to jump-start his offense, Boone flipped Aaron Judge, who typically bats second in the order, with Gleyber Torres, who has been hitting third of late, Wednesday night.

“Just trying to shake things up a little bit,” Boone said. “Obviously, teams are pitching carefully, understandably, to Aaron. And if you can get an extra opportunity to get a guy on in front of him, and if Aaron continues to get on like he does, [it’s] a chance for someone in the middle to come up with a big one to, hopefully, put some crooked numbers on the board.”

In the short term, the move didn’t work. Judge went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts and Torres went 1-for-4 with one strikeout in the loss.

Judge came into Wednesday 8-for-25 (.320) with a .528 on-base percentage in the first eight games of this nine-game trip, reaching base in 19 of 36 plate appearances in that span. Judge is hitting .250, but with a .458 OBP and .901 OPS in 17 games (16 starts) since being activated from the IL July 28.

Torres, though one of the Yankees’ more consistent hitters this season, comparatively speaking, has struggled of late, 6-for-31 (.194) with a .286 OBP in his last eight games.

Speaking of Gleyber

Torres, hitting .265 with 18 homers — which is tied with Giancarlo Stanton for second-most on the team — entering Wednesday, has grounded into six double plays in his last six games, doing so twice in Tuesday’s loss.

“That’s a little bit of a product of coming up in situations where if you put it on the ground [it could be a double play],” Boone said. “But I think Gleyber’s done a really nice job offensively. He’s one of those guys that’s been as consistent as anyone.”