Yankees Prospect Gaining Buzz Amid Veteran's Struggles

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Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees.

The New York Yankees are short at least one starting pitcher. But don’t expect Cam Schlittler to fill the void yet.

New York is reportedly not considering Schlittler, a 6-6 right-handed starter and its No. 10 prospect, to fill in its No. 5 slot in its starting rotation.

The Yankees have one of the best pitching staffs in the majors. They boast a 3.47 ERA, the seventh-best in MLB, their .219 opposing batting average is second in MLB and they rank second in the majors in strikeouts per nine innings (9.33).

All that has been in spite of New York’s inability to lock down a No. 5 starter.

Why Do The Yankees Have A Pitching Rotation Opening?

The Yankees’ two-year, $37 million contract for Marcus Stroman made sense at the time the teams agreed to it. Stroman was a former ace, who grew up a Yankees fan on Long Island, and was in a low-stakes position to serve as the team’s No. 3 or 4 starter behind Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes.

But the Stroman experiment has been a disaster, especially in 2025, and his injury and ineffectiveness has created a void in New York’s pitching staff.

Stroman is rehabbing his way back from left-knee inflammation but has been less than inspiring, posting a 6.97 ERA. He gave up 10 hits and five earned runs in just 3 2/3 innings Tuesday in Somerset, in what was supposed to be his final rehab start before coming off the IL.

As a group, we’ll figure out what makes sense for us from an inventory standpoint, when is Marcus ready to come back, all of those things,” Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said earlier this week, according to The Athletic. “I don’t think we know for sure what we’re going to do after this outing.”

Ryan Yarbrough filled the void by going 3-1 in eight starts, but he landed on the injured list with an oblique strain. The Yankees promoted Allan Winans, who like Schlittler has dominated Triple-A, but he gave up five hits and four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in his 2025 major-league debut against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.

The Yankees have not named a probable starting pitcher for Sunday in their series finale against the Athletics. Winans could make a second start, or it could be Stroman, or the Yankees could have a bullpen game.

“It’s a conversation to see where we’re at,” Blake said “I think [Winans and Stroman are] the two main guys in conversation for that spot with Yarbrough on the IL.”

But it won’t be Schlittler. At least not yet.

Why Are The Yankees Leaving Cam Schlittler in the minors?

Schlittler is a 2022 seventh-round pick of the Yankees’, and he is on pace, according to MLB Pipeline, to reach the majors in 2026.

But Schlittler is proving he is ahead of schedule. In four starts in Triple-A — Schlittler was called up from Somerset to Scranton/Wilkes Barre in mid-June — he has allowed four runs in 21 1/3 innings and boasts an incredible 33-to-8 strikeout-to-walk rate in June.

But even though he isn’t in the mix for a starting spot with the Yankees, Blake left the door open for him to come up in the second half.

“Obviously, it’s a bigger conversation with the front office and our development group about how he’s really handing Triple A,” Blake told The Athletic. “As he keeps posting starts and keeps showing that he’s commanding the ball the way he needs to — obviously, the stuff is good. I think he’s putting his name in the mix if we need a starter in the second half.”

Pat Pickens is an experienced sports writer and media personality who has written for outlets like NHL.com, the Associated Press, the New York Times and USA Today. He covers the NFL, NBA, NHL and NBA as a breaking news contributor at Heavy. More about Pat Pickens