Why Yankees star Cam Schlittler’s biggest test is still ahead of him

Massachusetts native Cam Schlittler has been a pivotal part of the New York Yankees’ starting rotation since his arrival last July, and as the 2026 regular season winds down, he has one major test to pass before his club reaches the postseason.

Schlittler has dazzled for the majority of the campaign. Across 28 starts this season, the 25-year-old has gone 12-6 with a 2.09 ERA and a 2.62 FIP, making a strong case for the American League’s Cy Young once all is said and done.

According to Baseball Savant, he ranks in the 98th percentile in terms of Pitching Run Value and the 99th percentile in Fastball Run Value. Last season, he ranked in the 65th and 88th percentiles in these respective categories.

His last start saw him earn a win against the Boston Red Sox on the strength of 5.2 scoreless innings. Despite walking five batters, the All-Star also picked up five strikeouts. By doing so, he became the fourth-youngest Yankee to record a 200-strikeout season, behind Al Downing, Luis Severino, and Bob Turley.

“It’s just a testament to how good he’s gotten and continued to improve exponentially since we signed him,” Boone told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com after the righty’s most recent outing. “Rifling through the Minor Leagues, I just feel like over the last two years, he’s just steadily gotten better and better. He has a really good grip on his arsenal, and he’s obviously pitching like one of the great pitchers in the league.”

Even though Schlittler has been dominant, he will have to prove that he can go deep into games consistently down the stretch since this is his first full MLB campaign and he’s in a starting rotation that includes several talents who are still not at full strength after recovering from injuries that kept them sidelined.

Cam Schlittler will have to prove his durability down the stretch

The former seventh-round pick tossed 73 regular-season innings and 14.1 postseason innings in 2025. He’s already thrown 163.2 innings in 2026, and this mark will only continue to balloon as the Yankees look to make an impactful October run.

It is no secret that New York has leaned on a select group of relievers such as Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn, and David Bednar. Boone will have to be careful not to overuse these weapons as the tournament approaches.

“I think,” Schlittler said, “the division is wide open.”

Such a task will be a tall order since the Yankees are in the middle of a division race with the American League East-leading Tampa Bay Rays, and will require the rotation to work as many innings as they can.

It may be a lot to ask Fried or Rodon to work more than six innings consistently since they only recently came back from the injured list. The same may apply to Gerrit Cole, who, while healthy, did not pitch in 2025 and has already surpassed the number of frames he pitched in 2024.

Consequently, Schlittler will have to empty the tank whenever he graces the mound. Of course, the flamethrower may not be able to go past the sixth inning each time out, but that should be an ambitious goal considering the bullpen’s recent workload has been impacted by other starters’ restrictions.

“He pitches with a chip on his shoulder,” Cody Bellinger said of Schlittler. “He goes out and wants to dominate. He wants to be better. He expects a lot out of himself. He’s just done a tremendous job this year.”

With roughly a month remaining in the regular season, the Yankees will attempt to find their footing at the right time. Receiving the most gritty and daring of Schlittler will be paramount.

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