Grading the Yankees rotation early in the 2026 season

Four games into the 2026 campaign, the New York Yankees sit with a record of 3-1. After sweeping the San Francisco Giants, the Yankees dropped their first game of the year against the Seattle Mariners on Monday thanks to a Cal Raleigh walk-off single. 

Starting the season, the Yankees opted for a four-man rotation so ace Max Fried and Cam Schlittler can continue to pitch on their usual timeline. 

With Gerrit Cole expected back in late May/early June and Carlos Rodon in late April, the Yankees have strong performers who can keep the ship steady until then.

Grading the Yankees rotation

Will Warren (RHP): B

Entering his second full season, Warren is expected to be a steady contributor in the backend of the Yankees' rotation. 

Warren made his first start last Saturday against the Giants, throwing 4.1 innings and allowing one run on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks. 

Neither terrible nor amazing. Warren only allowed runners into scoring position twice, with the only damage being one run. 

The positive: Good swing-and-miss. Nine whiffs from opposing hitters. 

Areas to improve: Too many long at-bats. Warren threw an average of 4.4 pitches per batter, with six at-bats with at least five pitches. 

Ryan Weathers (LHP): B+

The most recent Yankee to make his start, Weathers made his debut Monday night against Seattle. 

Like Warren, Weathers threw 4.1 innings and allowed one run. The rest of his stats were only four hits allowed, with seven strikeouts and two walks, a positive sign for 2026.

The biggest factor for Weathers this year is his health. Over his last two years in Miami, he made 24 starts with a 3.74 ERA and 117 strikeouts. Good numbers, but the problem was that he was hurt for 213 games. 

The positive: Good swing-and-miss. 11 whiffs from opposing batters. 

Areas to improve: Stay ahead of batters. Multiple at-bats where Weathers got ahead and allowed hitters to get back in the count with a combination of balls out of the zone and foul balls. 

Max Fried (LHP): A

Back on the mound Tuesday, Fried started the season for the Yankees, proving why he's an ace. 

Fried had the longest outing for a Yankee starter so far in terms of pitches (86) and innings (6.1). In his outing, Fried only allowed four on base with two hits, one walk and one hit batter. 

Only four strikeouts and six swing-and-misses for Fried, but neither is cause for alarm. In Fried's own words, "It wasn't the sharpest," showing how much better he thinks he can be out there. 

The positive: Limited base runners. Fried efficiently moved through the game with little traffic. 

Areas to improve: Sharpen the stuff. Despite that, Fried still looked amazing. 

Cam Schlittler (RHP): A+

Continuing off of his excellent 2025 playoffs, Schlittler dominated in his first start against the Giants. In only 5.1 innings of work, Schlittler struck eight batters and allowed only one hit. 

Where Schlittler struggled last year was in allowing free bases (3.8 BB/9). Last Friday, Schlittler allowed no walks and only allowed three batters to reach a three-ball count. 

Both command and swing-and-miss stuff were there for Schlittler as 49 of his 68 pitches were strikes and he totaled 13 whiffs from Giant batters. 

If Schlittler can keep his command consistently, then he has the makings of one of the American League's top arms. 

The positive: Unhittable. Plain and simple.

Areas to improve: None. The outing just needs to be replicated.