Pitching meltdown continues for New York Yankees as Carlos Rodon becomes latest arm to head to the IL

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was praised by Yankees fans for bringing in some stellar starters to complement the team's already-dominant corps.

But now, those same starters have suffered injuries during spring training. Those injuries now look likely to cause headaches as opening day draws nearer and nearer.

Starting pitching was a strong part of the Yankees' game in 2022. New York had the fourth-best ERA in the AL and were in the top five in strikeouts.

The preseason pitching woes began earlier this week when right-hander Frankie Montas announced that he would need surgery on his shoulder, and would miss several months of the season. Eyebrows were further raised when Montas claimed that he "wasn't 100%" at the time of the trade that brought him to the Yankees from the Oakland Athletics last August.

Understandably, this has vexed Yankees fans. Many believe that the Yankees front office under Brian Cashman should have more diligently assessed Montas before clearing him to play.

However, fan anger at Cashman reached a new level when the GM announced that their biggest offseason signing in Carlos Rodon would also start the season on the IL.

"Brian Cashman says Carlos Rodon will start the season on the IL with a left forearm strain, per @BryanHoch. Tommy Kahnle and Lou Trivino will also start the season on the IL," Talkin' Yanks tweeted.

Carlos Rodon signed a six-year contract worth $162 million with the New York Yankees last December. Rodon compiled a 14-8 record with a 2.88 ERA last season for the San Francisco Giants and was seen as the biggest addition to the Yankees pitching corps this year.

Yankees fans took to Twitter to express their frustration, with some suggesting that the season was over before it had even begun.

This was not the first outpouring of dissatisfaction from Yankees fans this spring. Manager Aaron Boone was targeted relentlessly by fans after compiling lineups for Grapefruit League games that fans did not approve of.

Even without Carlos Rodon, the New York Yankees have strong starters

Although Rodon was always going to be a big part of the team, and his absence will be missed, the Yankees still have stars like Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes as starters. All fans can do now is hope that no more injuries will hamper the team's big aspirations in 2023.