Competition Heating Up for Yankees Third Playoff Starter

Carlos Rodon and Max Fried are shoe-ins for the New York Yankees' possible Wild Card showdown, but the third spot is still up for grabs. The three candidates gunning for the role — Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil and Will Warren — are on a tight timeline to make a strong impression.

Schlittler, the 24-year-old Yankees product making a splash in his first MLB season, is favored with Gil to get the part. Gil, who returned this season after a long injury, was a World Series starter in 2024, and has come back strong, with a somewhat inferior command of the zone.

“Performance matters, and where you think they are once we’re headed into that situation,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, h/t the New York Post's Greg Joyce. “They’re each going to have a few more here, so hopefully they put us in a tough situation based on them performing well.”

Boone is characteristically positive about the position the Yankees find themselves in as they weigh an abundance of talent.

“Just paying attention to it,” Boone said of the decision making process. “Watching how they do, how they navigate things and then when you get to a situation if we’re fortunate enough to be playing in those games, how things match up against a particular team, who maybe plays better in a bullpen situation, all those kinds of things.”

Schlittler has been praised for his considerable progress for his rookie season and his control at high velocity, with fellow farm system product Ben Rice complimenting his "blue collar attitude" while the young pitcher was starting out.