The New York Yankees are shaking things up on the mound, pushing Cam Schlittler up to start Friday against Philadelphia on normal rest, with Will Warren getting pushed back to Sunday. Warren’s move to Sunday comes right after he pitched in relief on Wednesday during a doubleheader, and honestly, that usage ain’t looking good for his spot in the starting rotation.
Yankees Pitching Staff: Too Many Cooks, Or Not Enough?
With Max Fried already back in the rotation and Carlos Rodón on the comeback trail, Warren’s recent relief appearance and Sunday bump could spell trouble for his regular starter gig. The Yankees have a lot of arms trying to figure out their roles. Take Luis Gil, for example. The former Rookie of the Year faced live batters on Friday for the first time since early May, throwing BP as he works back from right shoulder inflammation. Gil was absolutely disastrous in his four starts earlier this year, and there’s no guarantee he even has a role when he’s fully back. It feels like a juggling act, and someone’s bound to drop the ball.
Catcher Carrousel Needs a New Rider
On the offensive side, the Yankees are getting basically nothing from their catchers this season. Seriously, virtually no production at all. With the trade deadline staring everyone down, you gotta expect them to go hard for an upgrade. Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers, a righty bat who’s a free agent after the season, looks like the most likely target. But don’t sleep on guys with more club control like Shea Langeliers from the Athletics or Hunter Goodman from Colorado, even if there’s no promise those guys actually get moved. Francisco Alvarez from the Mets and Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman are longshots, while Cincinnati’s Tyler Stephenson and Minnesota’s Victor Caratini are less exciting backup plans if all else fails. They gotta do something, and fast.
Blackburn’s Bullpen Breakout Exposes Mets’ Mismanagement
One bright spot on the pitching staff, however, is Paul Blackburn. This dude has absolutely broken out with the Yankees this year after moving full-time to the bullpen, rocking an incredible 2.00 ERA in 35 outings. He’s crediting the Yankees’ consistency for his career renaissance. Blackburn was quick to contrast that with his time with the Mets, where he was constantly getting shuttled between the rotation and the bullpen. “I felt like we were just playing a video game,” he said, recalling his 6.00 ERA in 12 games across town. Talk about a glow-up!
The trade deadline is right around the corner, and with this pitching staff in flux and a black hole at catcher, the Yankees front office has some serious work to do. Everyone’s watching to see if they can fix these holes, especially with so many arms trying to find their place and the team needing to figure out who’s actually going to produce.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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