SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — New York Yankees’ pitching prospect Elmer Rodríguez, a big league arm in the eyes of many who are currently down in San Juan, Puerto Rico as the World Baseball Classic continues on, is getting mentored by one of the best Puerto Rican pitchers in MLB history.
“I think he’s gonna be a big leaguer soon, his stuff is immaculate,” Puerto Rico’s outfielder Heliot Ramos told Latino Sports prior to Team Rubio falling to Canada 3-2 Tuesday night at Hiram Bithorn Stadium.
“His stuff is nasty. I think he has the work ethic. He has the right mentor. He works with Edwin Díaz a lot, so I feel like he’s on the right track.”
While continuing to progress towards the pros, Elmer Rodríguez has been working with Edwin Díaz, a two-time LatinoMVP Reliever of the Year – Image Credit: Joel Rodriguez/Latino Sports
Rodríguez, 22, picking up learning lessons from a two-time LatinoMVP Reliever of the Year Award recipient in Díaz, was amped up this past Monday night in their homeland, pitching in front of a large group of friends and family against Cuba. He wasn’t his typical sharp self, and after six straight balls, it looked like he would be in for a rough night.
On his sixth pitch to begin the outing, he almost hit Cuban third baseman Yoán Moncada, which is when veteran catcher Martín Maldonado came out to visit him. A smart move coming from an established and proven winner.
“Elmer was a little nervous in the beginning and that’s normal,” revealed Maldonado. “He reminds me of José Berrios when he pitched in 2013. We’re talking about Eduardo (Rivera) and Elmer for who should be the next Puerto Rican face starting in the Big Leagues and seeing them fight through the innings, it shows the quality of players they are.”
Rodríguez caught up with Latino Sports for an exclusive interview after laboring through three scoreless innings with three strikeouts that saw him throw 50 pitches with 21 coming for strikes. He worked around three walks and just one hit and started off our chat discussing his first inning obstacles.
“I mean, just after the mound visit, just try to calm myself down, just go one pitch at a time, and I feel like I executed well, and then I went through well throughout the whole game,” he said. “At the beginning, the first couple pitches, I felt like my adrenaline was kinda high, like, you know, big.”
It was a big moment of growth for Rodríguez, who called it “one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my life,” adding “the crowd was amazing. I’m still soaking all of it in. I can’t put words to it.”
His start in San Juan could also be a stepping stone for his future, which will include some pressure-packed starts at Yankee Stadium if and when he does get called up this year.
“I feel like it’s just going to help me move forward, being in a crowd like this, loud, you know, noisy. Obviously, you gotta control your emotions there. It was a great experience and hopefully it teaches me something for the future.” -Puerto Rico’s Elmer Rodríguez of the New York Yankees
Rodríguez continues to improve each season, going from an unranked prospect with the Boston Red Sox in 2024 to the Yankees’ third-ranked prospect and MLB Pipeline’s 82nd-ranked prospect in 2026.
Moreover, Rodríguez pointed out that the Yankees helped enhance his development in immeasurable ways when he came over from Boston last offseason.
His manager with the Somerset Patriots, Raul Dominguez, the first base coach for Panama in the 2026 WBC, came close to drawing Rodríguez in the WBC however Puerto Rico opted to start him against Cuba in Pool A play.
“I can’t wait to see him, we were talking a lot in spring training, and I thought he was going to pitch against us,” Dominguez said, sharing his excitement to watch Rodriguez pitch. “It would be tough to face him, but at least I would know everything that he has. But I’m happy we didn’t have to face him because he’s really good.”
In 2024, Cruz showed flashes with the Red Sox in Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville with 89.2 innings, 102 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.91. Last year, he pitched 150 innings with 176 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.58 from Low-A Hudson Valley to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
“Last year was big because I feel like it was the last couple years that I’ve been building towards this,” he said. “Ever since I got traded, my son was born. Then I went to a new team then had a great year. Now this year, I get the chance to be here. I mean, just blessed, blessed for all the opportunities I’ve been getting and just thankful for everything.”
Acquired by the Yankees in December of 2024, Rodríguez’s son was born three months prior. Fast forward to 2026, he is now a breakout star pitching for his country at home in the WBC.
“He’s a tough prospect over there with the Yankees, excited to watch him,” Puerto Rico’s infielder Willi Castro said of Rodríguez. “He has really sharp pitches, and I think he’ll be in MLB for sure this year.”
Their manager Yadier Molina also weighed in on Rodríguez and Puerto Rico’s pitching staff as a whole, which has been uber impressive out of the gate of WBC Pool A play.
Puerto Rico’s manager Yadier Molina speaking to the press following PR’s win over Cuba Monday night in San Juan to advance to the 2026 WBC quarterfinals – Image Credit: World Baseball Classic/Major League Baseball
“As a young team, these players don’t take anything for granted,” Molina said. “They love to learn every day. We have some veterans and they care about the young guys. They’re good listeners, they play hard, and I trust them.”
Rodríguez, living out a moment he had dreamt of his whole life Monday night, helped Puerto Rico punch their ticket to the quarterfinals of the 2026 WBC with a 4-1 win against Cuba.
“It feels great,” he said after the big time victory. “We got into the quarterfinals, and hopefully, we keep winning.”
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