Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon hits teammate with pitch in scary batting practice mishap

Willie Calhoun was the victim of friendly fire during Yankees pre-game batting practice on Sunday. The left fielder took a scary fastball to the inside of his left arm from pitcher Carlos Rodon. Obviously, the incident was unintentional.

Calhoun stepped into the box while Rodon threw, part of his rehab as he approaches a return to the team. A pitch clearly got away from Rodon and Calhoun was unable to get out of the way in time.

The outfielder appeared to be in considerable pain after the ball struck his arm. Rodon walked off the mound towards the plate to check on his teammate.

Here’s Calhoun being bit by a Rodon pitch in pregame batting practice pic.twitter.com/CVHzBlrFnK

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthewCFB) June 11, 2023

Per The New York Post, Calhoun said his arm went numb after the fastball hit a nerve in his elbow/bicep area. But it sounds like it was just a stinger for the outfielder.

Calhoun still took the field for the Yankees during Sunday night’s game against the Boston Red Sox. He didn’t record a hit in three plate appearances as the Yankees lost a 3-2 decision to the Red Sox in 10 innings.

Manager Aaron Boone said that Rodon will throw another live session on Thursday before he begins his rehab assignment. Aside from striking Calhoun, Boone said he liked what he saw from the starting pitcher.

“I thought he looked really good,” Boone said, per New York Daily News. “Probably stuff-wise, as good as I’ve seen even going back to spring.”

Timeline for Carlos Rodon’s return

Carlos Rodon has yet to pitch for the Yankees during the 2023 season, with the team putting the stop sign up because of forearm issues in spring training. But there’s promise that he’ll be back soon.

Boone was impressed with Rodon’s arm during batting practice (minus hitting Calhoun, obviously), and there’s hope that he’ll rejoin the roster in early July. That’s the goal, at least.

This year marks Rodon’s first with the Yankees. He spent a majority of his career (2015-21) with the Chicago White Sox and threw for the San Francisco Giants in 2022. He’s fresh off back-to-back All-Star appearances and tossed a no-hitter in 2021.

Through eight MLB seasons, Rodon owns a 56-46 record with a career 3.60 ERA. He’s approaching the 1,000 strikeout club, recording 947 entering the 2023 campaign.

No specific timetable on Rodon’s return has been set at this time. The Yankees will likely see how the pitcher’s rehab sessions go before making some sort of announcement on that front.