Carlos Rodon followed up a strong first rehab start with a gem on Thursday night.
Pitching for Double-A Somerset, the Yankees southpaw tossed 4.1 shutout innings and allowed two hits and one walk while striking out seven batters.
After a delayed start due to inclement weather, Rodon took the mound and allowed a bloop single to lead off the game. Rodon bounced back, getting a fly out and an inning-ending double play to end the first frame.
Rodon then came out in the second, striking out two in a 1-2-3 inning. After Somerset put up a four-spot in the bottom half of the second, Rodon worked around a leadoff single by striking out the next three batters to keep New Hampshire off the board. Rodon struck out two more batters in the fourth before issuing his first walk to lead off the fifth inning. After picking up an out, Rodon was pulled in the middle of an at-bat after 58 pitches (41 strikes).
Tyler Boudreau came in to finish up the at-bat Rodon left for and got the third out without allowing Rodon's runner to score, putting an end to the veteran's night.
In his last rehab start, Rodon struck out four batters while allowing three runs on three hits and two walks across 2.2 innings. Thursday's start was a stark improvement as Rodon continues to build up his pitch count.
Earlier this week, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said this could be Rodon's final rehab start before rejoining the team. If Rodon feels good after Thursday's start, he can be activated next week, even with the limited pitch count. Boone actually stated that Rodon could continue to build up his count while pitching in a piggyback situation.
That could be a temporary solution for the upcoming rotation crunch that will befall the Yankees. When Rodon is ready to start games, New York will have to decide which of Will Warren or Ryan Weathers will be added to the bullpen.