Yankees Can’t Afford to Trust Will Warren in Big Spots Down the Stretch

Will Warren has shown enough that the New York Yankees can't trust him to get big outs as the season goes on.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Will Warren is struggling at the worst time as the team pushes for a playoff spot. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There was a point in the season when it felt like Will Warren was making a leap in his development. In Warren's first seven starts, he was mitigating damage in ways that he never had before. He allowed no more than two earned runs in each of those starts and racked up strikeouts that made it seem like he was figuring out how to overpower batters.

Unfortunately, that version of Warren doesn't exist right now. These days, he looks more like he did in 2025, when he gave innings, but the Yankees weren't sure which version of him they were getting. He is back to being the type of pitcher who is either going to give you six innings of two or three earned runs or melt down.

Against the Mariners on Wednesday night, Warren melted down. A team that can't hit, having an average exit velocity of 93.6 MPH against him, as Seattle did, is a big red flag. Warren was pulled in the fifth after walking Randy Arozarena, which forced the Yankees to lean on their bullpen earlier than they wanted.

Seattle Mariners right fielder Dominic Canzone hit a solo home run off Will Warren, who struggled on the mound Wednesday night. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Since June, Warren has an ERA of 5.87 in 53.2 innings. And over that stretch, the right-handed starter had four starts, allowing four or more runs. He also had six games when the Yankees pulled at him or before the fifth inning.

Will Warren's role down the stretch

If you're the Yankees, this should signal that Warren probably isn't ready for big innings down the stretch. They can't pull him from the rotation because the alternative is Elmer Rodriguez, but for now, he should serve as the team's five starter until Carlos Rodon returns.

They'll likely need bullpen depth as the dog days of summer transition to fall, and since Ryan Weathers' stuff translates better to get big strikeouts in a pinch, he should be coming out of the pen as the season goes on. The Yankees will have to pray that Warren can figure it out every fifth day.

Warren can stay as a back-end starter, as their four big horses will carry them the rest of the way. But when the Yankees make their postseason plans, they shouldn't involve Warren.

He had one appearance in October last year. Warren gave up the grand slam to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., effectively icing that series, and even though one appearance doesn't dictate how a young pitcher will pitch in subsequent years, would anybody be surprised if Warren does that again?

VLADIMIR GUERRERO POSTSEASON GRAND SLAM 💥 😱
pic.twitter.com/3DFC00cac7

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 5, 2025

The Yankees need to ask themselves this question. Were Weathers on the roster in that spot and not in Miami, would they feel more comfortable going to him or Warren? The answer is simple. Weathers' ability to whip batters with wicked changeups and sweepers gives them the best chance of getting out of a jam.

Warren started the season so strong, and yet he may not even get many innings. While they may have big hopes for him in the future, Warren may need to prove himself for big spots another year. Either that or be trade bait in the winter. The Yankees have seen enough of what he can do in 2026.

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