Carlos Rodon is pitching like the playoff ace the Yankees need him to be

Plenty of New York Yankees fans believed their chances of winning a World Series this season ended the moment news broke that Gerrit Cole would miss the entire campaign due to injury. Evidently, Carlos Rodon did not get that memo. His stellar pitching through the first 13 games of the season has given the Yankees hope that they can thrive in the postseason despite Cole's injury absence.

Rodon's dominating win against Cleveland on Monday night was just the latest in a string of strong outings for the veteran southpaw. He struck out 8 Guardians over seven innings of work in his team's 3-2 victory. His impressive command was on full display as he kept opposing hitters off balance with a variety of pitches on the night.

The 32-year-old starter is finally looking comfortable in pinstripes. He's already racked up eight wins while serving as the ace of manager Aaron Boone's rotation. His steady presence has helped stabilize a rotation that could have easily gone off the rails without Cole's leadership. That's a far departure from the pitcher who was regularly booed by his own fans after ariving in the Bronx as a high-priced free agent back in 2023.

Strikeouts have been key for Carlos Rodon

The big key for Rodon is that he's managed to concurrently increase his strikeout percentage while giving up less home runs. He's ringing up 11.1 hitters per nine innings, which represents his best percentage since signing with the Yankees. Combine that with only giving up 0.9 home runs per nine innings, and it's easy to understand how Rodon's statistics have enjoyed a healthy uptick across the board.

The key for Rodon moving forward is to prove that he can stay healthy and maintain his level of performance over the course of a full regular season. He managed to throw 175 innings for the Yankees last season, but injuries have stopped him from being a reliable workhorse over the course of his entire career. The Yankees need 2025 to be one of his high workload years if they're going to win the AL East.

Winning the division is a key goal for Boone's team if they want to return to the World Series for a consecutive season. The Yankees should do everything they can to avoid the random nature of a one game playoff in the postseason. Facing that challenge would not necessarily be fatal for New York but it's a risk they do not want to assume.

The ideal scenario for the Yankees in October is having the ability to count on Max Fried and Rodon as their top two starters in any potential series. Fried has been absolutely dominant in his first season with the club. Rodon's emergence as a potential co-ace for the Yankees does wonders to improve the team's potential postseason outlook.

Fans should prepare for Rodon's performance to regress to the mean at some point during the season. It's possible, but unlikely, that he will continue to pitch like a potential Cy Young candidate at this stage of his career. That harsh reality does not fundamentally change the team's potential postseason outlook. The way Rodon is throwing the ball this season gives the Yankees an opportunity to succeed without arguably their most talented starting pitcher. That is a tremendous accomplishment for any team.

Now the challenge for the Yankees is to identify who can be their No. 3 starter in the postseason. Clarke Schmidt might be the most obvious choice, despite his previous struggles progressing a third time through an opposing batting order. Ryan Yarbrough's recent success makes him an intriguing option but starting three left-handers back-to-back might be overkill. Luis Gil could also factor into the team's thinking, assuming he comes back in top form after he gets off the Injured List.

Boone has a long time before he needs to make that decision. Until then, he'll continue to be thankful that Rodon is simplifying all of his choices at the top end of his regular season rotation. Things could have been much worse for the team's pitching staff after losing a superstar like Cole. Instead, Rodon has stepped up his game and made preseason concerns about the team's starting rotation a distant memory in the Bronx.