Interesting Situation Could Cause Yankees Young Pitcher to Miss Out on Opening Day

The New York Yankees may have to leave their stellar young pitcher off the Opening Day roster because of a depth issue.

Feb 26, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Will Warren (98) throws a pitch in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

There haven’t been many bright spots for the New York Yankees during spring training given how many injuries the team has had to endure.

The pitching staff has been ravaged, as prospect Chase Hampton was the first to go down needing Tommy John surgery. Soon after, their ace Gerrit Cole also underwent the procedure, ending his season.

Reigning Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is dealing with a serious lat strain that will keep him sidelined for months. JT Brubaker, Scott Effross and Jake Cousins all suffered injuries during camp as well.

With so many players not being able to participate during camp, others were given an opportunity to showcase their stuff.

One of the pitchers who has taken full advantage is Will Warren.

An eighth-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, his Big League debut in 2024 was disastrous. He made six appearances, throwing 22.2 innings, and got hit hard by opponents to the tune of a 10.32 ERA.

His FIP indicated there was some bad luck mixed in at a more reasonable but still not great 4.93. His 11.5 K/9 was also an encouraging sign.

A spot on the Opening Day roster wasn’t even a thought when camp began, as Warren was expected to operate as organizational depth in Triple-A. But he has performed at such a high level, he was forcing himself into the mix even before taking into account all of the injuries.

Through 15.2 innings, he has struck out 16 batters with only three walks and nine hits allowed. Six runs, five of which were earned, were scored against him and he has surrendered only one home run after giving up five last year.

He has undoubtedly earned one of the spots in the Opening Day rotation behind Carlos Rodon and Max Fried.

But, something beyond his control could lead to him starting the campaign as the ace with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre; the opt-out of Carlos Carrasco.

The veteran pitcher has a Mar. 22 opt-out clause in his contract that will allow him to request his release should he not be on the Opening Day roster.

With negative WAR produced in three out of the last four seasons, that isn’t normally something that would keep a team from having a youngster performing at the level of Warren off the roster.

But, because of the injuries that New York has sustained to its pitching staff, they may not be in a position to allow Carrasco to opt-out.

“Make no mistake: Warren has earned a spot in the rotation, but roster decisions could force the Yankees to keep him off the team at the start of the season,” as written in the roster projection shared by Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty of The Athletic (paid subscription required).

Should Carrasco leave the team, Allan Williams would become the sixth starter in the organization, creating a major depth dilemma.

As a result, Warren could be optioned to Triple-A with the veteran taking the final spot in the starting rotation. 

It is a less than ideal decision, but is in the best interest of the club to make sure Carrasco doesn’t leave, dealing another blow to their pitching depth that is already being tested.