Aaron Boone was asked a simple question about Cam Schlittler's impact on the Yankees rotation. His answer skipped straight past the premise.

“He's going to win the Cy Young,” Boone said during his pregame press conference. “You got an ace at the top that's pitched like that. That's a good place to start. He's been dominant.”

"Well, he's gonna win the Cy Young!"

Aaron Boone on what Cam Schlittler has meant to the Yankees' rotation this season. pic.twitter.com/VzFIYOzdb4

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) September 18, 2026

The manager is not out on a limb. Through 31 starts and 184 2/3 innings this season, Schlittler owns a 1.95 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP, leading the American League in ERA, innings and WHIP while sitting near the top in strikeouts. He has already set a franchise record with 20 starts of one run or fewer, and he became the fourth-youngest Yankee to reach 200 strikeouts in a season. Dylan Cease is the only serious challenger, and his edge is limited to total strikeouts.

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Boone traced the rise back further than this year. “I think he's just continued to get better year in and year out,” he said. “This is largely in line with who we saw down the stretch when he got called up last year. Obviously had about as dominant a postseason outing as you could against the Red Sox and it's carried that right into this year.”

That October showing came in Schlittler's first playoff run, where he posted a 1.26 ERA across 14 1/3 innings after a 2.96 ERA over 73 regular-season frames as a rookie. A seventh-round pick out of Northeastern in 2022, he has climbed faster than anyone in the organization projected.

Boone credited the makeup as much as the arm. “He's got great stuff. Obviously, he's a tremendous competitor,” he said. “He's got a real good way about him, ability to make adjustments start to start, not be overwhelmed by a result start to start, and he's put it all together for a full season now at this level.”

Schlittler would be New York's second Cy Young winner in four years after Gerrit Cole in 2023, and his 2026 numbers have outpaced Cole's award-winning campaign. The Yankees have already clinched a playoff berth.