“He re-dedicated himself” - MLB insider compares Carlos Rodon to Joey Gallo, Carl Palvano, Javier Vazquez & Ed Whitson for strong comeback season

Carlos Rodon's redemption arc seems to have started. The New York Yankees starter has looked fantastic in his recent outings and is making a case to be included as a key member of the postseason rotation. As per insider Joel Sherman, his resurgence is better than other New York players of the past.

Rodon's first year in the Bronx was marred with poor performances and controversy last season. After his Cy Young-winning performance with the San Francisco Giants in 2022, Rodon struggled to a 3-8, 6.85 ERA over 14 starts. The team management also reprimanded him for failing to take advice from the pitching coaching staff.

But this season has been different for Rodon. Even though inconsistent at times, the starter has notched up a 13-7 record with a 4.18 ERA. He went through a rough spell of nine starts in June and July that saw him earn a 6.90 ERA. But things have been better since as he has recorded 31 strikeouts and just six earned runs in his last four starts, all of them resulting in wins.

This drew a comparison from Joel Sherman to other Yankees alumni like Joey Gallo, Carl Palvano, Javier Vasquez and Ed Whitson. While Gallo was a batter who was on the club recently, the other three were pitchers who played in the Bronx in the 1980s and 2000s but failed to make any significant impact after a down year.

"He re-dedicated himself in the offseason. He clearly came in better shape mental, physical this season," Sherman said on the "Pinstripe Post" podcast on Monday.

Yankees looking at strong postseason rotation if Carlos Rodon retains level of play

Carlos Rodon is ahead of Nestor Cortes Jr. and Marcus Stroman currently if the Yankees had to name their four best starters to lead the postseason rotation. With Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil providing decent results and Clarke Schmidt on his way to return, Rodon is an obvious choice for the fourth position.

What will be concerning is Rodon's durability, which has had question marks. He will look to stay healthy and end the regular season on a high as the Yankees look to be World Series contenders.