(Top Image Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)

Yankees Pitching Staff: Who’s In and Who’s Out?

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Matthew Nethercott | Last updated Mar 20, 2026 5:33 PM ET

The Yankees are less than one week away from their season opener in San Francisco. Between now and then, there are some decisions the Yankees need to make around their roster, especially about their pitching staff.

Pitching Staff

The Yankees’ pitching staff has the potential to be one of the best staffs in baseball. With the players they have returning from injury this season, like Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón, they will be competitive. Add that with Max Fried and Cam Schlittler reading the way early in the season, the foundation is there.

This also opens the door for starters going to the bullpen. Two candidates for that spot in the bullpen will be Ryan Weathers and Luis Gil. Weathers has already made the rotation, manager Aaron Boone said on Thursday. He will start the Yankees’ fourth game of the season when the team is in Seattle. Gil, on the other hand, remains a question mark.

Gil has not had the best spring for someone who is looking to win back a consistent rotation spot after injuries plagued his 2025 season. He still has one minor league option, and manager Aaron Boone left the door open for Gil to be optioned to begin the season.

“He’s one of the five guys, but we’ve got to sort out how we’re going to do all that.”

This week, Gil was spotted in the bullpen working on his stuff. He will get one last spring start on Friday night against the Orioles.

You can see here that the Yankees are working with Luis Gil on his release point pic.twitter.com/Tbf7os6MjV

— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) March 18, 2026

If Gil is still working through some issues, it could benefit the Yankees to use Gil’s final option to let him work on his stuff until he is needed mid-April. If he is optioned, the Yankees will roll with a four-man rotation because of the flexibility with early-season off days.

Cade Winquest

Feb 26, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Cade Winquest (80) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Atlanta Braves at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Winquest was the Yankees’ first Rule 5 draft pick since 2011. Their interest in Winquest dates back to the 2022 draft, where they took Schlittler in the seventh round, hoping that Winquest would fall later. He did not, as the Cardinals selected him. The Yankees selected him because they saw a lot of similarities in Winquest that they saw in Luke Weaver when they claimed him off waivers from the Mariners in 2023.

Good inning from Cade Winquest. Came into a tough spot and limited the damage. pic.twitter.com/vX48w1nvST

— Yankeesource (@YankeeSource) March 17, 2026

Now, with less than a week left in camp, the indication is that Winquest will make the roster. “We feel like he’s gonna be a good pitcher. So, I think he’s shown enough to keep himself in that mix for us and to warrant us taking him. We’ll see in the end which way we go.” Boone said Friday. “But he’s taken to some of the minor adjustments we’ve had for him, I know the pitching group has had for him. That’s always kind of a work in progress, but I think he’s got a chance to be good.”

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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