Yankees' Will Warren Making Small Tweak With Big Upside

The New York Yankees pitcher made a small tweak in his delivery and tried it out for the first time in his spring debut.

Feb 12, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Will Warren (98) works out during spring training workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Will Warren was one of the unsung heroes of the 2025 season for the New York Yankees. The rookie starter was ready to go every fifth day, offering the type of availability that looks to be missing from the rotation this year, as they're dealing with injuries from Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt. Even Cam Schlittler's lingering lat issue is a small concern.

Last season, Warren made 33 starts and pitched 162.1 innings, while striking out 171 batters. He had a 4.44 ERA with a 2.1 WAR, according to Fangraphs.

Sep 9, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Will Warren (98) pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

With a good — not great — first season in the books, Warren is still making the necessary tweaks to have an even better year. According to the Daily News' Gary Phillips, Warren told him he'll be throwing from the third base side of the mound. It's where he threw in college at Southeastern Louisiana University. He has been pitching from the first base side in the big leagues.

"I think it's a healthy attack angle," Warren told Phillips. "It's a little sharper. Righties, it kind of feels like I'm coming at them. Lefties might feel like the ball is just way out there, especially like a backdoor sweeper, backdoor curveball, and then just making it super sharp going into them."

Warren says it may not seem like much at first, but he believes it will make a big difference in how batters view pitches coming out of his hand.

"I mean, it doesn't feel like it's that big, but you move all the way across, it's 17 inches or something like that," Warren continued. "It'll mess your lines up a little bit. So I'm just making sure those are sharp, that way I can get ahead and have success."

The Yankees are likely hoping this tweak helps Warren. They need all the quality innings they can get to start the 2026 season.

Spring Debut

Warren debuted his tweak against the Toronto Blue Jays. In 2.2 innings with 49 pitches thrown, he struck out four while generating five swings-and-misses. He allowed one earned run on four hits and no walks.

4K Day for Will Warren🔥 pic.twitter.com/G1ALya4ita

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) February 24, 2026

Warren had a handful of hard contact on three of the eight batters who put the ball in play, though. Jesus Sanchez hit a 95.6 MPH single, and Daulton Varsho hit a 109.5 MPH triple. Both occurred in Warren's first inning of work. In the second inning, Brandon Valenzuela scorched a 105.3 MPH single.

Warren's hardest hit pitch was his fastball. The Jays had an average exit velocity of 90 MPH against it.

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