Before this weekend’s sweep of the Kansas City Royals, the New York Yankees’ strongest performers were arguably their starting pitchers. With a collective 2.98 ERA from their starters so far this year, they own the third-best mark in all of MLB, behind the Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates. With Max Fried and Cam Schlittler continuing to dominate after excellent seasons in 2025, as well as Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon nearing returns, it’s easy to see why another solid starter may be getting a bit overshadowed.
That starter, of course, is Will Warren. After making 33 starts in his rookie year last season (the most by a Yankees rookie since 1973), Warren is only getting better in 2026. Currently third in New York’s rotation behind Fried and Schlittler, Warren is actively proving that instant success isn’t the only kind of success in the big leagues.
No Major Changes
The interesting part about Warren’s early dominance is that he hasn’t changed all that much in terms of what he throws, how often he throws them, and his method of attacking hitters. He is striking out hitters at an even higher rate than last season, and his ERA+ sits at 172, so what could have changed so much?
Warren is simply becoming more adept at forcing more weak contact and fewer barreled balls. According to Baseball Savant, compared to last season, the 26-year-old is forcing 7.9% more ground balls, 3.4% less barreled balls, and 3.4% less walks. Though the differences in those numbers may be small, they have obviously translated to success on the field, with his ERA being 2.49, 31 strikeouts, and a mere six walks over 25 1/3 innings. His FIP (fielding independent pitching) has dropped dramatically, from 4.07 to 3.05 in just one year. And, above all else, he has confidence and a swagger that he didn’t have when he first came up to the big leagues.
Job in Jeopardy?
As crazy as it sounds, even after having an excellent start to the year, Warren may not have a permanent spot in the Yankees’ rotation. Because of Cole and Rodon’s imminent return, as well as Clarke Schmidt’s a bit later down the line, the Yankees simply will not have the room for at least two or three of the starters currently in the rotation. Right now, with Ryan Weathers and Luis Gil after Warren in the order, it would seem apparent that Warren is the one to keep, since he is under team control the longest and has the best numbers. However, the Yankees may decide to keep Weathers (at least temporarily) in the rotation simply because he’s a left-hander, and the Yankees famously love to make decisions based on matchups.
Still, if Warren continues to pitch the way he has, there is absolutely no way that he’ll find himself out of a job. After this season, the Yankees’ roster is going to look extremely different both in terms of position players and pitchers, so Warren is at least a safe bet to become a mainstay in New York’s rotation for next year and the seasons to follow.
Main Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
