How Cam Schlittler will continue to power depleted Yankees rotation in 2026

New York Yankees need help with the pile of injuries

The Yankees' pitching staff is going through some major setbacks, as three pitchers from their five-man rotation will likely miss the beginning of the 2026 season.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone held his end-of-season news conference on Thursday, where he announced that one of these three key players, Carlos Rodon, would likely miss the start of the season.

"Carlos Rodon had a scope of the elbow yesterday to get rid of some loose bodies and shave down a bone spur," Boone said to the media. "He'll go into now an eight-week period of no-throw, which probably delays him a couple of weeks to start the season."

Along with this, Boone revealed the roadmap for Gerrit Cole's return, announcing that he will not be ready for Opening Day. While this was to be expected, it creates an even larger gap in a rotation that is already down many important arms.

"[Cole] is on track to hopefully be seen on the mound in Spring Training, starting to face live hitters," Boone said to the media. "I wouldn't say [he'd be ready for] Opening Day, but not too far after."

Following the injury updates for Cole and Rodon, there will be some large shoes to fill to start the season. The Yankees have a guy who has already proven that he can handle the expectations.

Cam Schlittler is made for the moment

Schlittler was called up in early July to provide some relief to an already hurting pitching staff, and he stepped up in a big way. The 24-year-old fireballer dazzled in his first few months in the majors, posting a 2.94 ERA and fanning 84 batters through 73 innings of work.

This regular-season performance earned him a pivotal role on the Yankees' postseason roster, where he showcased his mentality on the national stage, dominating the rival Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the Wild Card Round. 

Schlittler's time on the mound during the end of the regular season and throughout his two playoff starts has proven that he can be an arm to count on heading into next season.

Who is the future ace for the Yankees?

While the Yankees' hitter development has been under fire over the past few seasons, the one thing that hasn't been in question is their development of pitchers.

Schlittler seems to have set himself up on the fast track to be considered one of the next great developed Yankee pitchers, and his greatness may bloom quicker than fans are expecting.

Through just his 14 starts in 2025, the 6-foot-6 righty stunned everyone, including Yankee fans, with his overpowering fastball. Not only is Schlittler's fastball velocity in the 95th percentile, averaging at 98 miles per hour, but it also averages 16.3 inches of rise with 5.8 inches of tail. 

His pitcher profile has many similarities to aces such as Hunter Greene, Jacob deGrom, and Tyler Glasnow, showing that a future where Schlittler is the ace of the Yankees may be very close.

The Yankees' rotation is banged up, to say the least, heading into 2026, but Schlittler can be a driving force in the Bombers' pitching staff to help soften the blow. 

With major contributors such as Cole and Rodon sidelined to begin the season, Schlittler will be called upon to rise to the occasion and play a crucial role for the Yankees' staff to begin 2026. But, if there's anything Yankee fans have learned about the young right-hander, it's that he can handle the pressure.