Carlos Rodon took his most significant step yet toward joining the Yankees’ rotation, making his first rehab start Tuesday evening with Double-A Somerset.

And on Bark at the Park Day at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, N.J., Rodon pitched like the dog the Yankees envisioned and are anxiously waiting to have at their disposal.

The 30-year-old lefty tossed three innings and allowed one earned run, one hit, one walk and struck out five during the Patriots’ 4-1 loss to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

It marked Rodon’s first regular-season outing at any level this year while enduring a forearm muscle strain and back discomfort.

“It was good,” Rodon said. “Started off a little slow. But somehow I got a ground ball, I don’t usually do that. Felt good, defense was nice. It was just nice to be back out there.”

Rodon fell behind the first two batters he faced, surrendering a walk and a single, respectively.

But he quickly regrouped, forcing the next batter, Damiano Palmegiani, into a double play, though a run scored on the play to sink Rodon and the Patriots into a quick 1-0 hole.

Rodon then struck out Will Robertson to end the inning and struck out two as he breezed through a 1-2-3 second inning.

After throwing 31 pitches — Patriots pitching coach Grayson Crawford said before the game they were targeting around 40 pitches — Rodon came back out for a dominant third inning.

He struck out two in another 1-2-3 inning to finish his promising evening. Rodon threw 42 pitches, 27 for strikes.

“I felt sharp after the first [inning],” Rodon said. “The third [inning] I felt like I started finding myself.”

Rodon’s fastball was mostly in the 92-94 mph range, although he did reach the mid-90’s in the third inning. Last year, Rodon’s fastball averaged 95.5 mph, according to Baseball Savant.

A Florida native, Rodon signed with the Yankees on a lucrative six-year, $162 million contract this past offseason. The team’s most expensive offseason addition, Rodon was expected to be a staple in the Yankees’ rotation.

But he’s been on the injured list since spring training with the pair of injuries.

Rodon was shut down in early March with the left forearm strain, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone initially targeted a return for “some time in April.”

As he began taking his first steps toward returning, however, the back injury flared up, which he said doctors told him is a chronic issue.

Rodon received a cortisone shot in his back amid setbacks in early May, and reports briefly emerged that he might not be able to pitch for this season at all. He’s made encouraging progress in his rehab, though, most recently throwing two simulated innings and 36 pitches during a third live batting-practice session last Thursday at Somerset.

Despite the injury causing so many issues, Rodon said he didn’t even think about his back.

“At this point, I’m just trying to execute pitches,” Rodon said. “That’s just the goal, that’s it. … Throughout my catch play, the progression to get to this point, I felt like I’ve been close to who I am if not all the way back. Now it’s just throwing more pitches.”

Tuesday’s start was the first of three planned rehab outings before the Yankees hope Rodon can join the major league roster early next month. Rodon is set to make his second rehab start Sunday.

Although Rodon only endured one brief stint on the injured list the past two seasons, he owns a long injury history.

The White Sox non-tendered Rodon two years ago while he struggled to return from a 2019 Tommy John surgery, and he previously dealt with shoulder and elbow injuries.

The Yankees’ rotation has held its own without Rodon — they entered the night with a 4.37 staff ERA from starters, tied for 14th-best in MLB — but his looming return comes at a needed time.

They’re operating with a four-man rotation as Nestor Cortes remains on the IL with a shoulder injury, and they’ll need a fifth starter by this weekend. Without Cortes, the Yankees’ don’t have a lefty in their rotation.

“Just not being able to be out there with the boys and compete and try to win games with them [was the hardest part of his rehab],” Rodon said. “This is pretty much half the season, it’s been tough, I wanted to be out there pitching.”

If Thursday was any indication, though, the Yankees will get their most-prized lefty back sooner rather than later.