The Yankees have gone from boasting one of the deepest starting rotations in baseball to scrambling for answers. With Gerrit Cole likely out for the season and Luis Gil sidelined for months, the team has no choice but to turn to young arms earlier than expected.
Among them, 25-year-old right-hander Will Warren is emerging as a critical piece of the puzzle, showing he might be ready for the challenge ahead.
Warren Shines in Latest Start
On Monday afternoon against the Detroit Tigers, Warren made his third start of the spring, giving up just one earned run over 3.2 innings. While it was his shortest outing so far, he still limited damage, allowing only two hits and continuing to showcase improved command. His spring ERA now sits at 1.54, a drastic improvement from the 10.32 mark he posted in his rookie season over 22.2 major league innings.
Warren’s raw stuff has never been in question, but last year, his command wavered, and he simply didn’t trust his pitches enough to attack hitters effectively. He spent the offseason making mechanical tweaks and refining his arsenal, and the early results this spring suggest he’s taken a massive step forward.
Drawing Comparisons to Michael King
Many see shades of Michael King in Warren, which is fitting given the Yankees included King in the blockbuster trade for Juan Soto. Their mechanics are eerily similar, and if Warren can follow the same trajectory, he could develop into a legitimate mid-rotation arm. With Cole out and Marcus Stroman now locked into the rotation instead of being dangled as a trade chip, Warren suddenly finds himself in a position where the Yankees need him to be a stabilizing force.
Teammates and Coaches See a New Mindset
The buzz around Warren is real. Catcher Austin Wells has noticed a different mentality from the right-hander this spring, saying, “Feels like he has a chip on his shoulder. Coming back with a little bit of vengeance and wants to improve. I’ve seen it from the start. His live BP, his last outing and this one, he’s been great. I’m excited to see what he keeps doing.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone has also taken note of Warren’s improvements, particularly with his offspeed pitches. “He looks great. He’s one of those talks of the camp so far. It’s electric stuff,” Boone said during a YES Network broadcast earlier this spring. “What we’ve seen a big improvement on in games is the changeup and the curveball a little bit. It’s something he’s going to need for the left-handed hitters.”
Boone also pointed out that Warren’s natural sinker/slider combination already makes him tough on righties, but his added ability to mix in a more effective changeup and curveball could be the difference in his ability to neutralize an entire lineup.
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A Crucial Role in a Yankees’ Rotation Scrambling for Stability
The Yankees had no plans for Warren to be anything more than rotation depth to open the year, but things change fast in baseball. Now, he might be asked to hold down a mid-rotation spot, a responsibility that seemed unthinkable just a few weeks ago. With so much uncertainty surrounding the pitching staff, Warren’s emergence could be one of the few silver linings for a team in desperate need of some good news.