Yankees Call Up Former Somerset Patriots RHP Elmer Rodriguez To Make MLB Debut
Bridgewater, New Jersey – The New York Yankees have called up RHP Elmer Rodriguez to make his MLB debut on Wednesday, April 29. Rodriguez becomes the 52nd former Somerset Patriots player to make his MLB debut since becoming the Yankees Double-A affiliate in 2021.
Bridgewater, New Jersey – The New York Yankees have called up RHP Elmer Rodriguez to make his MLB debut on Wednesday, April 29. Rodriguez becomes the 52nd former Somerset Patriots player to make his MLB debut since becoming the Yankees Double-A affiliate in 2021.
Congratulations to Elmer Rodriguez on being called up by the @Yankees to make his MLB debut today in Texas!
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) April 29, 2026
Elmer becomes the 52nd Somerset Patriot to debut in the big leagues over the last six seasons. pic.twitter.com/8vEQ11HkTl
This season for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Rodriguez has a 1-2 record with a 1.27 ERA and 20 K over 21.1 IP in four starts prior to his major league call up.
In 2025, Rodriguez was named Baseball America’s Yankees Minor League Player of the Year. Between Hudson Valley, Somerset and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Rodriguez went 11-8 with a 2.58 ERA and 176 K over 150 IP in 27 games (26 starts). He ranked second among all minor league pitchers last season in strikeouts. Among qualified Yankees farmhands, he ranked first in strikeouts and innings pitched, was tied for first in starts, second in ERA, opponents’ batting average (.192) and WHIP (1.07) and tied for third in wins.
For his minor league career, Rodriguez is 23-21 with a 2.51 ERA and 391 K over 354.2 IP in 79 games (74 starts).
The San Juan, P.R., native was originally selected by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft. He was then acquired by the Yankees from the Red Sox along with international signing bonus pool money in exchange for C Carlos Narváez on December 11, 2024.
About the Somerset Patriots
The Somerset Patriots are the New York Yankees Double-A Affiliate and develop today’s top minor league talent into the pinstriped superstars of tomorrow for MLB’s winningest team. The Patriots were named Double-A Organization of the Year by Minor League Baseball (2025) and Baseball America (2024). Home games are played at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, NJ, where fans of all ages and levels of baseball fandom get to enjoy the unique experience that is minor league baseball. To learn more, visit: somersetpatriots.com.