diff --git a/.changes/unreleased/operator-Fixed-20260520-110000.yaml b/.changes/unreleased/operator-Fixed-20260520-110000.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b2829d9ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changes/unreleased/operator-Fixed-20260520-110000.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+project: operator
+kind: Fixed
+body: |
+  Closed a race during rolling restart that could cause two broker pods to be
+  unavailable simultaneously. After the operator deletes pod A, the new pod A
+  can appear in the cache with the latest StatefulSet revision before Redpanda
+  detects broker A's departure, so isHealthy remains true and the operator
+  immediately deletes pod B. The rolling loop now defers (requeues) when any
+  pod that already carries the latest StatefulSet revision is not yet
+  Running+Ready, or any pod is still terminating — narrower than "all pods
+  ready" so pods unhealthy for unrelated reasons don't block the roll.
+time: 2026-05-20T11:00:00.000000-07:00
diff --git a/operator/internal/controller/redpanda/redpanda_controller.go b/operator/internal/controller/redpanda/redpanda_controller.go
index 9ece4335e..67d4cdb58 100644
--- a/operator/internal/controller/redpanda/redpanda_controller.go
+++ b/operator/internal/controller/redpanda/redpanda_controller.go
@@ -496,6 +496,18 @@ func (r *RedpandaReconciler) reconcileDecommission(ctx context.Context, state *c
 
 	// finally, we make sure we roll every pod that is not in-sync with its statefulset
 	rollSet := state.pools.PodsToRoll()
+
+	// Don't start rolling while a recently replaced pod is still coming up.
+	// The cluster health view (brokerMap, isHealthy) lags behind pod state,
+	// and rolling a second pod before the first one's replacement is ready
+	// would cause two pods to be unavailable simultaneously.
+	// Only check when there are actually pods to roll — otherwise we'd block
+	// normal reconciliation when a pod is unready for unrelated reasons.
+	if len(rollSet) > 0 && state.pools.HasRecentlyReplacedPods() {
+		logger.V(log.DebugLevel).Info("recently replaced pods not ready, deferring rolling restart")
+		return ctrl.Result{RequeueAfter: requeueTimeout}, nil
+	}
+
 	rolled := false
 	for _, pod := range rollSet {
 		shouldRoll, continueExecution := false, false
diff --git a/operator/internal/lifecycle/pool.go b/operator/internal/lifecycle/pool.go
index 167f0c418..633d8b558 100644
--- a/operator/internal/lifecycle/pool.go
+++ b/operator/internal/lifecycle/pool.go
@@ -303,6 +303,52 @@ func (p *PoolTracker) ToDelete() []*appsv1.StatefulSet {
 	return sortByName(sets)
 }
 
+// HasRecentlyReplacedPods returns true if any existing pod has the latest
+// revision (i.e., was recently recreated during a rolling restart) but is not
+// yet fully ready, or if any pod is still terminating. This is a narrower
+// check than "all pods ready" — it specifically targets the window between a
+// pod replacement and the new pod's readiness probe passing, during which the
+// Redpanda health API has not yet caught up.
+func (p *PoolTracker) HasRecentlyReplacedPods() bool {
+	for _, pool := range p.existingPools {
+		latestRevision := ""
+		if len(pool.revisions) > 0 {
+			latestRevision = pool.revisions[len(pool.revisions)-1].Name
+		}
+
+		for _, withOrdinals := range pool.pods {
+			pod := withOrdinals.pod
+
+			// A pod being deleted is always a reason to wait.
+			if pod.DeletionTimestamp != nil {
+				return true
+			}
+
+			// Only check pods that already have the latest revision — these
+			// are the ones that were just replaced by a prior roll pass.
+			if latestRevision == "" || pod.Labels[appsv1.StatefulSetRevisionLabel] != latestRevision {
+				continue
+			}
+
+			if pod.Status.Phase != corev1.PodRunning {
+				return true
+			}
+
+			ready := false
+			for _, cond := range pod.Status.Conditions {
+				if cond.Type == corev1.PodReady && cond.Status == corev1.ConditionTrue {
+					ready = true
+					break
+				}
+			}
+			if !ready {
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 // PodsToRoll returns a list of pods that need to be rolled
 // because their association ControllerRevision does not match
 // the latest applied to the StatefulSet.