How Elmer Rodriguez, Travis Bazzana call-ups could impact the MLB Playoff race

It's pretty rare for rookies to feature in major roles on true World Series contenders, but we just saw it take place in 2025. Trey Yesavage was the Toronto Blue Jays' No. 2 starter all postseason despite having made just three starts in the Majors before October. And would the Los Angeles Dodgers have won the World Series if it weren't for Roki Sasaki closing games?

There's a chance New York Yankees righty Elmer Rodriguez and Cleveland Guardians infielder Travis Bazzana ca have similar impacts this season. Both Rodriguez and Bazzana, top-100 prospects, were promoted to the Majors for the first time by their respective teams on Tuesday, and both could be counted on in a big way come October.

Elmer Rodriguez is a secret weapon the Yankees have been waiting to unleash

Elmer Rodriguez has been one of the New York Yankees' top pitching prospects ever since the team acquired him in the trade that sent Carlos Narvaez to the rival Boston Red Sox, and for good reason. He had a 2.58 ERA in 27 appearances (26 starts) last season in the Minors, beginning the year in High-A and ending it in Triple-A. This season, Rodriguez has a sparkling 1.27 ERA and a sub-1.00 WHIP in his four Triple-A starts, completing at least five innings and allowing one earned run or fewer in each of his four outings. He even threw three scoreless innings for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic and, while overshadowed by fellow top Yankees prospect Carlos Lagrange, opened some eyes in spring training.

Rodriguez is most known for his fastball that can reach the upper 90s and a wipeout slider. Each of the four pitches he throws, including his splitter and curveball, have grades of 55 or higher according to MLB Pipeline.

What makes this call-up particularly interesting is that Rodriguez doesn't figure to be in the Majors long term. He'll be replacing Luis Gil in the rotation for Wednesday's game against the Texas Rangers, and he might get another start after that, but Carlos Rodon is due back from the IL soon and Gerrit Cole presumably isn't far behind. Sooner rather than later, the Yankees are going to have more starters than spots.

The Yankees have seven starters for five spots. They can use Weathers or even Rodriguez out of the bullpen if they want to, and they probably will with Weathers once Cole returns. But for the 22-year-old Rodriguez, New York would presumably prefer for him to start full-time, even if those starts come in Triple-A.

This figures to change come the postseason, though. Rodriguez, out of the bullpen, with his stuff, could present nightmares to the opposition. And knowing that New York has guys like Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn taking up bullpen spots right now, why can't Rodriguez make it to the 'pen in October?

He might not close games like Sasaki did last postseason, but Rodriguez has the stuff to record big outs in October. He can be a very impactful pitcher for New York in that role.

Travis Bazzana gives the Guardians lineup much needed firepower

Rodriguez's role will probably change come postseason time, but Travis Bazzana's sure won't. The Cleveland Guardians promoted FanSided's No. 17 prospect to play every single day, and as good as Rodriguez is, Bazzana's impact might be even greater.

The Guardians are a .500 team despite having the fifth-best staff ERA in the American League because their offense is subpar. It's better than last season, thanks largely to Chase DeLauter and some unexpectedly hot starts from guys like Angel Martinez and Daniel Schneemann, but Cleveland still ranks 21st in runs scored and 21st in OPS. Bazzana is up in the Majors to help improve that.

The 23-year-old has slashed .287/.422/.511 in 24 games in Triple-A this season, hitting two home runs, driving in 10 runs and stealing eight bases. For reference, only seven big leaguers have stolen more than eight bases, and only seven have a higher on-base percentage than Bazzana's .422.

All of a sudden, this lineup doesn't appear to be as Jose Ramirez-centric as it had been in previous years. Don't get me wrong: Ramirez remains their best player by far and deserves more help, but you can see pieces starting to form here. Steven Kwan makes as much contact as anybody, DeLauter has been awesome and Bazzana's ceiling is incredibly high. Sprinkling in a better version of Kyle Manzardo than the one that the Guardians have gotten thus far and continued improvement from guys like Martinez, Schneemann and even Brayan Rocchio, and you can see the path for this lineup to be decent — which, again, is a huge upgrade.

Bazzana likely won't hit too many home runs, but he should get on base a ton. Don't be surprised to see Cleveland place him in the No. 1 or No. 2 spot in the lineup as a table -setter in front of Ramirez sooner rather than later, once he gets acclimated to big-league pitching.

"Bazzana's in-game power as a pro has been modest, but the guy can hit, take extra bases and has a strong approach at the plate that helps him get on base regularly," says FanSided's Eric Cole.

I'm still skeptical that this lineup, as constructed, is good enough to embark on a deep postseason run, but the Guardians are much better with Bazzana in the lineup than with him in Triple-A. It'll be interesting to see just how big an impact he has. There's a real chance he'll end the year hitting high up in the order for a division winner, which would be awfully impressive for a rookie.

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