The New York Yankees may not have Cam Schlittler fully built up for his first regular-season start, but the budding second-year ace is ready still ready to toe the slab next week in San Francisco.
Schlittler opened up about delaying his build up but also said he’s been “seeing improvement” since starting on the mound in March.
Schlittler, like the rest of Yankees pitchers and catchers, reported to camp in mid-February. But he was slowed by a back injury that pushed back his first spring training start until March 6.
In his rookie season, Schlittler went 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 73 innings for the Yankees in 2025 then went 1-1 with a 1.26 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 14 1/3 postseason innings.
Cam Schlittler ‘Feels Great’
The Yankees will start the season with co-aces Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon on the injured list. Both are expected back before June 1, but their injuries will require starters like Schlittler to step up to keep New York competitive until that duo returns.
Schlittler’s back stiffness threatened to put the Yankees into a deeper hole, since the right-hander is expected to be one of their front-line starters behind Max Fried. Fortunately, Schlittler’s injury was but a hiccup — rather than a full-blown crisis, like what the Yankees dealt with with Cole (Tommy John surgery) and Luis Gil (side strain) last year.
“I feel great,â Schlittler told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. âYouâre not going to be perfect after two weeks. Iâve been seeing a lot of improvement over the last month. No hiccups or anything.â
So far Schlittler has looked great on the mound as well. The 6-6 righty is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 10 strikeouts in just six innings over two spring-training starts, with just one run allowed.
Cam Schlittler is Likely to Make His Season Debut March 27 or 28
Fried was already named the Yankees’ opening day starter March 25 against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. But anything beyond that, at this point, is just pontificating.
Still, Schlittler was New York’s No. 3 postseason starter last year, behind Fried and Rodon, and his spring-training success means he will probably start either Game 2 or 3 for the Yankees in San Francisco.
Because Schlittler still isn’t fully built up, and the Yankees don’t need a No. 5 starter until mid-April, Hoch posited his first start could be short — capped at 70 pitches — before either Ryan Yarbrough or Paul Blackburn followed.
Still, that would be fine with Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
âIâll take 70 pitches of Cam Schlittler,” Boone said, according to Hoch.
The Yankees have an off day on March 26, and another on March 29 before they take on the Seattle Mariners for a three-game series at T-Mobile Park. So Boone can afford to use Schlittler then Yarbrough/Blackburn and the rest of their bullpen in either Game 2 or 3 against San Francisco.
Schlittler may make one more start — potentially in Arizona when the Yankees go to Sloan Park to face the Chicago Cubs next week — before toeing the slab in a regular-season game. But only his first outing will be abbreviated, since Schlittler is not too far behind the rest of the Yankees staff.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Yankees Get Cam Schlittler Update as Opening Day Nears appeared first on Heavy Sports.