Carlos Rodón's long-awaited return to the Yankees' rotation on Sunday was a mixed bag of promise and frustration. The left-hander, who spent most of last season battling a bone spur in his left elbow, finally took the mound healthy after offseason surgery—but his command had other plans.

Facing the Brewers in Milwaukee, Rodón showed flashes of his old self with a lively fastball, a sharp changeup, and some swing-and-miss sliders. But the stat that tells the story? He issued five walks over just 4.1 innings, and allowed a free pass to the leadoff man in all but two frames. The result: three runs on only two hits, but enough damage to leave the Yankees wanting more.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone didn't mince words. "That was the bugaboo," he said. "Overall his stuff was good... but the three leadoff walks hurt." Rodón managed to escape early trouble in the first and second innings, but the Brewers made him pay in the fourth. After loading the bases with two walks and a hit-by-pitch, Milwaukee scored on a sacrifice fly, then took the lead on a two-out, two-run single—their first hit of the day.

"He just lost the zone there," Boone added. "Walking the leadoff batter usually isn't a recipe for success." The skipper pointed to rust as a possible culprit, but Rodón himself had no easy answers. "It's frustrating," he said. "Obviously I need to be better in that aspect."

Despite the hiccups, there were positives: Rodón battled, kept his composure, and showed he can miss bats when he's in the zone. For a pitcher coming off surgery, that's a foundation to build on. He'll look to turn the corner in his next start—which happens to open this year's Subway Series against the Mets. Yankees fans will be watching closely, hoping the "bugaboo" stays in Milwaukee.