Which young pitchers will propel the Yankees in 2026?

Last week, I wondered about which Yankees pitching prospect could have a Cam Schlittler-esque turn this year, coming up in the middle of the season to make a major impact on the Yankee staff. Elmer Rodríguez and Carlos Langrange look like prime candidates, even if it’s unlikely that any single prospect plays as well as Schlittler did in his summer audition last year.

The thought of another young power arm coming up and propelling the Yankees midseason is tantalizing, but the fact is the Yankees have a plethora of young starters already on the major-league roster. New York hopes that Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodón will ultimately lead them to glory, but with injury concerns stuck to at least two of those three, young starting pitching will have to buoy the Yankees during parts of 2026.

Schlittler stands tall, literally and figuratively, among that group of hurlers, coming off a sensational rookie campaign and one of the most memorable playoff debuts in Yankee history. There’s also Will Warren, who’s had his inconsistencies in his career but just led all rookies in starts in innings, with his baffling east-west arsenal hinting at untapped upside. Luis Gil stands at a pivotal moment in his career, not long removed from his 2024 Rookie of the Year campaign but looking to re-establish himself after a 2025 season in which he was injured and diminished. You can even arguably include Ryan Weathers in this group; though the left-hander has appeared in five different MLB seasons, he only just turned 26 and has but 280 career innings to his name.

The question today is, which of these young starters will make the biggest impact in 2026? With Rodón likely to miss about a month of the season, Cole scheduled to miss about two months, and Clarke Schmidt still on the mend, the Yankees need a chunk of these young starters to show out, if not most of them. Who will it be? Which of these inexperienced arms will prove to be most valuable to the Yankees this year?

This morning, Matt’s entry in our Yankee Birthday series highlights Ron Hassey, who had a couple of remarkable things happen to him over the course of his career. Also, Peter previews Carlos Rodón’s season, and Jeff takes a look at the Pirates as part of our 2026 MLB preview.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins

Time: 1:05 p.m. EST

Video: Gotham Sports App, Twins.TV

Venue: Lee Health Sports Complex, Fort Myers, FL