Yankees Pitcher Dealing with Lingering Issue

In a perfect world, the New York Yankees starting rotation would be anchored by Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt, and Cam Schlittler, who may have usurped Will Warren and Luis Gil, the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year. Pitching injuries are the most common in sports, though, and there are four healthy names in this list. One now has a question mark, though.

Schlittler, the prospect with ace stuff who burst on the scene in 2025, providing stability for an ailing rotation, still hasn't gotten into a Spring game yet. He has been dealing with a lat injury.

Oct 8, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) reacts after being pulled from the game during the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game four of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

NJ.com's Bob Klapisch reports that, while the Yankees are not worried, there still could be cause for concern given the nature of the injury.

"The Yankees say they're not worried about Schlittler's ongoing lat issue, but the 25-year-old right-hander has yet to make an appearance," Klapisch reports. "He's instead undergoing daily treatment to keep a small problem from becoming serious enough to keep him off the Opening Day roster. The good news is that Schlittler's discomfort, initially diagnosed on the upper left back, has not spread to his throwing arm. The bad news is that even opposite-side problems can affect a pitcher's rotation when delivering the ball."

Unbeknownst to the public, the problem first arose for Schlittler during the summer. Klapisch reports that the dynamic righty had a late summer flare-up.

Schlittler says the issue disappeared after the series against the Blue Jays, only to re-emerge once he reported to camp. According to him, it has come back to bite him now because he didn't do proper rehab on the injury.

Filling Potential Holes

What does that rotation look like now to start the season if the issue is worse than they're saying? The Yankees thought they were in a good place with Schlittler, ready again to play the de facto two starter behind Fried for a bit, but, as Klapisch says, this could be a tricky injury.

In the worst-case scenario, they'll have Fried at the top of the rotation as they wait for Cole and Rodon. Behind him are Will Warren and Luis Gil. That leaves two question marks.

They have a trio of horses in Carlos Lagrange, Elmer Rodriguez and Ben Hess. Each has impressed in the early goings in the Spring. Counting on inexperienced starters can be hit-or-miss, though. In the case of Hess, he hasn't pitched above AA. Lagrange and Rodriguez have that experience, but even still, what's to say they're ready yet? That's a lot to throw on rising pitchers at once.

Feb 20, 2026; Sarasota, Florida, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Elmer Rodriguez (76) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles during spring training at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

If the Yankees are going to swing a deal in the free agency market, it's something they should have done yesterday. The two top names available are Zack Little and Patrick Corbin. Though those two likely don't inspire anybody, and they may even get the same results from the arms they have. Other veteran arms are the former two-starter behind Cole, Nestor Cortes, then Lucas Giolito and Tyler Anderson.

If they do go out and sign one of them, what's to say they'll even be ready by the time Opening Day rolls around? The later these guys report, the longer their timeline gets pushed back.

They could also swing a trade. That is easier said than done, of course. The prospects they offer are their depth in case of an emergency.

Tarik Skubal is always the name that comes to mind. Then again, this isn't MLB The Show.

Feb 23, 2026; Lakeland, Florida, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

An Ineffective Winter

Say the worst does happen, and they aren't able to bring someone in, that makes sense. The Yankees did this one to themselves. They had an entire winter to dip into free agency, and they flat out refused.

No, they didn't need to swim at the top of the market, landing a Michael King or Dylan Cease, but what stopped them from bringing in the veteran Justin Verlander? Guys like Chris Bassitt and Zach Eflin were there as well.

Tatsuya Imai was another name. He signed a 3-year $54 million pact with opt-outs after every year. What was the point of sitting out that one?

Feb 22, 2026; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai (45) looks on from inside the dugout before the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

You can foresee the Brian Cashman or Hal Steinbrenner quote at some point. "Who could have seen this happening?"

Well, everybody. Pitchers deal with injuries all the time.

To learn more about the Yankees from Spring Training and beyond, subscribe to All Yankees Talk, where new episodes are featured twice a week!

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!