How Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler has helped stabilize the injury-ravaged starting rotation

The New York Yankees were very active at the trade deadline. They added three new relievers, including closer David Bednar, plus a new third baseman and three new bench players. They did not, however, add a starting pitcher. That was rather surprising with Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt lost for the season following UCL surgeries.

It was even more surprising when the Yankees subtracted a starter soon after the deadline.

The Yankees released veteran innings guy Marcus Stroman the day after the trade deadline and instead put their faith in fast-rising rookie Cam Schlittler, one of the top breakout prospect in the minors this season. Prior to his July 9 big-league debut, Schlittler had thrown 76 ⅔ innings with a 2.82 ERA and 99 strikeouts between Double-A and Triple-A.

"We feel like (Will) Warren and Schlittler are ready to be in the rotation full-time," manager Aaron Boone told reporters, including NJ.com, after Stroman was released. "Felt like with (Luis Gil's return from a lat strain) probably coming over the next few days, at least, felt like the timing was right."

Four weeks after cutting Stroman and going with Schlittler, it looks like a wise decision. Schlittler struck out eight in six scoreless innings against the Washington Nationals on Monday (NYY 10, WAS 5). In his previous start, he took a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays. Schlittler has a 2.76 ERA through eight starts with New York.

"It's a pleasant surprise to say he's a key part of our rotation now, going down the stretch," Boone said after Monday's win. "But way stranger things have happened."

Schlittler, 24, was a seventh-round pick out of Northeastern in 2022. He is the prototypical modern pitching prospect: 6-foot-6 with a fastball that has topped 100 mph, two quality breaking balls, and a cutter. Schlittler has thrown the 69 fastest pitches by a Yankees starter this season. For a staff that has been short on velocity overall, he has been a breath of fresh air.

"The interesting thing about him is he wasn't always this kind of guy," Ben Rice said after catching Schlittler on Monday. "I remember the year he got drafted, he started in extended spring training. He was not a velocity guy by any means. To his credit, he put in the work, put his head down, put on weight, put on muscle. He made himself into a really good pitcher."

Cole has not thrown a single pitch this season. Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, went down in spring training and did not make his season debut until Aug. 3. Schmidt made 14 starts before his elbow blew out and it was his injury that opened the door for Schlittler. At one point last month, the Yankees had four MLB starters (also Ryan Yarbrough) on the injured list.

Losing Cole and Gil, and then Schmidt, could have sunk New York's season. The Yankees had already begun tumbling down the standings when Schmidt got hurt. Max Fried and Carlos Rodón were deserving All-Stars, and Warren has had a fine rookie year, but the Yankees had major questions in two of their five rotation spots. Schlittler was a desperation move, really.

There is likely some regression coming Schlittler's way. He's stranded more than 90% of his baserunners, a sky-high number that is well above the 72% league average. Even the very best pitchers finish the year with around an 80% strand rate. Schlittler has also had some home run issues (1.28 HR/9), though he's a rookie who plays in Yankee Stadium. Homers come with the territory.

The bar was on the floor. Stroman pitched to a 6.23 ERA and averaged 4 ⅓ innings in nine starts around a knee injury. Schlittler has not just passed the "better than Stroman" test though. He's stabilized the rotation -- Schlittler has yet to allow more than three runs in a start -- is the odds-on favorite to be New York's No. 3 starter behind Fried and Rodón in the postseason.

The postseason is more than a month away, of course. For now, Schlittler has more than justified the Yankees' decision to move on from Stroman, and he's emerging as a rotation mainstay for a team that won't have Cole to begin 2026 and Schmidt for perhaps all of 2026 given the timing of their surgeries. The rookie has quickly made himself indispensable. 

"As a rookie, you can't get too comfortable," Schlittler said after Monday's win. "It's just important for me to continue to do my job. I try to get to six, seven innings, and put the team in a spot to win."