Yankees Breakout Pitcher Starting Career With Massive Pressure

Cam Schlittler burst onto the scene for the New York Yankees with a July call-up from Triple-A, and immediately looked like an ace. But with just 14 MLB starts so far, the Yankees may be relying a bit too heavily on him when the season begins.

Schlittler is expected to be one of the Yankees' best rotation options come spring, with Carlos Rodon, Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt out with injuries and the former two coming back around the late spring and summer. Because the Yankees have not been aggressive on the pitching front so far this offseason, they appear confident in rolling with the rotation they have, which begs more questions.

The other current arms are Max Fried, Will Warren, Luis Gil and Ryan Yarbrough, and the Yankees are one spring training injury away from using reliever Paul Blackburn as a starter. In a sport where pitchers get injured all the time (see the above list of currently-injured Yankees pitchers), it seems illogical that the Yankees would count so fully on nothing going wrong.

The Yankees have been linked to Japanese starter Tatsuya Imai this offseason, but Imai himself said that there haven't been any offers made for him from the many interested teams, and the league has until Jan. 2 -- which is rapidly approaching -- to sign him.

Schlittler Showing Terrific Promise in 2025

Oct 8, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) pitches during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game four of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

With those 14 starts, Schlittler finished his first MLB season with a 2.96 ERA over 73 innings pitched, and earned himself a legendary postseason run (the highlight saw him eliminate his hometown Boston Red Sox, which Yankee fans relished).

After Schlittler's first-ever postseason start, in which the 24-year-old pitched eight scoreless innings while striking out eight batters, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said it best.

"A star is born tonight," Boone said, via MLB. "He's a special kid, man, I'm telling you. It's obviously amazing stuff, but he's shown us this from the jump. He's not afraid. He expects this. I'm not gonna say what he told me last night, but I'm not at all surprised at what he did."

This offseason, Schlittler has set out to develop a breaking ball or a splitter to add to his pitching arsenal, which some worry is unsustainable given the high velocity he can reach with his fastball. If he can become a more well-rounded arm, he really does look like a star in the making, but the Yankees can also afford to give him some breathing room given the stakes.

After all, he is just getting started.

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