Editor’s note: This story includes graphic language and mentions rape.
While Carlos Rodón found himself struggling in the fourth inning of Game 2 of the ALDS on Monday, the Yankees starter’s wife, Ashley, received multiple frightening direct messages from anonymous users on Instagram.
One user threatened that the couple’s children would be raped and used a gay slur to describe Carlos. Another wrote “someone will find your wife and kids.” That message included two knife emojis.
“I love interacting with everyone, but there’s no place for this shit,” Ashley wrote in a post that shared the messages on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Later, after Carlos allowed four earned runs over 3.2 innings in the Yankees’ 4-2 loss to the Royals, Ashley told the Daily News that the Rodóns have received mean, racist and threatening messages throughout Carlos’ career.
“The messages never bother me until someone starts to bring my kids into it,” she said.
Carlos, meanwhile, wasn’t aware of the threats until reporters told him about them after the game.
“That’s wonderful,” he said sarcastically. “People are pretty disgusting at times. But I feel like that doesn’t explain Yankees fans. I don’t think that’s who they are. I understand that people get frustrated with the game. I guess my message to fans all around is that we are human as well. We do make mistakes. We’re not always perfect. I’m, by far, not always perfect, and I understand frustration and I understand people get frustrated with performance.
“But let’s not forget that this is ultimately just a game of baseball, and it doesn’t come down to hurting and sending out negative messages and threatening people’s families. Honestly, I feel for my wife, because our kids mean the world to us, and our family is really important to us.”
The messages Ashley received mentioning rape were in response to a post she had shared about the family’s foundation, which included information on miscarriages. Ashley suffered two miscarriages shortly after she married Carlos in 2018, and The Carlos Rodón Foundation seeks to make fertility treatments more accessible.
Ashley said that she did not respond to any of the messages, nor did she report them to Instagram or the Yankees. She didn’t see a point, as the users – void of real names and photos – could just make new accounts.
“This is such a common thing across sports for these guys,” Ashley said. “I really would love to see social media make these burner accounts unavailable. Say it with your chest, aka your real name. Having to take accountability for your actions in the real world is the first step towards stopping this type of thing from happening.”
Carlos offered a similar reaction.
“When someone does that, we do take it personal, but obviously they’re not man enough to actually put their name behind it and be real about it,” he said. “They never will because they’ll have to suffer the consequences of that, and that’s okay. We’ll move on. Doesn’t mean nothing to us. We have a Game 3 to play in Kansas City, which is more important than what anyone else is saying anyways.”
Carlos went on to say that he understands criticism is “part of doing business,” especially when players like himself are making millions of dollars.
However, the messages Ashley received crossed a line.
“There’s definitely no room for people threatening harmless little kids that have nothing to do with what we do on the field,” Carlos said.
He added that he certainly wanted to perform better on Monday night.
“They don’t just go find anyone to come pitch here in Yankee Stadium,” he said. “So [criticism] comes with the territory, and I’m all for it. I wish I would have been better today. Clearly, I expect more for myself. But I just know next time I go out there, I’m gonna compete my butt off.”
Meanwhile, Ashley said that she won’t change her social media habits. She posts a lot, especially when Carlos pitches. She enjoys hearing from fans, at least the ones who remain respectful.
“I am highly self-aware that engaging with good fans is also going to mean I get engagement from the not-so-kind fans,” Ashley said. “I love interacting and talking with true fans because I see myself in a very similar light. We all love the game. I just so happen to be married to one of the guys on the field.”