The last time Carlos Rodón faced the Blue Jays, it was a disaster. The Yankees were down 2-0 in the American League Division Series, needing a stellar outing from one of their big-money arms, but the Jays crushed. In 2 1/3 innings of work, he allowed six earned runs on six hits and a homer. The walks didn't help either. He walked two and hit a batter.The Yankees ended up rallying back in that game. Still, it was yet another postseason folly for Rodón after an ugly outing in the World Series the year before.It's safe to say that Rodón going up against the Jays was a solid litmus test for the starter who is on the mend, and hoping to knock the rust off after starting the season. Rodón passed that test with flying colors and showed flashes of what he could be down the line.The Yankees need Carlos Rodón to be at the top of his game if they want to win the World Series this season. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesIn only five innings of work, Rodón was electric. He walked three, but he struck out seven. He also allowed only one hard-hit ball all game. That was a 96.3 mph flyout by Davis Schneider, which only had a .010 expected batting average and only traveled 274 feet.Carlos Rodon's electric stuff against the BABIP kingsWhat was most encouraging were those swings and misses. Cam Schlittler remarked the other day that the Jays will BABIP you to death, and Rodón generated 18 swings and misses. If he can do that against Toronto, who doesn't strike out much, it will be interesting to see what he'll do the closer he gets to 100%."I thought he was great," manager Aaron Boone said, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "The secondary was good, but the fastball was terrific. That's not an easy team to get swing-and-miss, but the fastball really played. Definitely, it was the best of the three [starts]. He stayed within himself and didn't try to do too much."Rodón's seventh strikeout strands two as he completes five innings for the first time this season pic.twitter.com/5rasIbcBBL— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 22, 2026Rodón seems happy with the results, but he feels there is one thing he could improve."It's a step in the right direction," Rodón said. "I'd like to get deeper into games. It's a step forward, but I can still be better."The start against the Jays—not even a year removed from one of his biggest failures with the Yankees—showed just how potent Rodón's arm is going to be this season. Barring health, if Gerrit Cole returns to form, that rotation will be an impenetrable wall. Rodón and his propensity for whiffs will be in the middle of it all.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow