Yankees could be looking at entirely new Will Warren in 2026 after outing vs Phillies

One of the most enigmatic New York Yankees of the 2025 season was rookie hurler Will Warren. A former top prospect, Warren wasn't supposed to be a factor last year, but was thrust into the rotation following the spring training injuries to Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt, and Luis Gil.

It was a role he'd hang onto all season as the injury shuffle forced him to become a necessity, much to Yankees fans' frustration. There were bright moments for sure, and at times the right-hander would rack up the Ks and look nearly unhittable. But there were some truly ugly performances as well, with the former eighth-round pick sometimes struggling mightily in the first inning of games, leading to some truly epic meltdowns.

That's not to say he doesn't have talent. As one of the elder statesmen of the Yankees young pitching depth, the 26-year-old arrived not only because of his proximity to the majors, but also for his abilities.

Finishing the year with a 4.44 ERA over 33 starts and 162 1/3 innings, the overall performance wasn't terrible, but also was nothing to write home about.

Now, with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón laid up to begin the year, Warren will get another shot to prove himself, and the lack of rotation depth early in 2026 will make him a key cog as the season begins. That might seem like a scary proposition, but Warren is doing everything in his power to assuage those fears this spring.

Will Warren's impressive early spring training showing has Yankees fans optimistic

A lot of younger Yankees arms, such as top prospects Carlos Lagrange, Elmer Rodriguez, and Ben Hess, have turned heads, but Warren has quietly been right there with them.

One thing that has always been a strength for him has been his fastball. While the velocity won't wow you at an average of 93.3 miles per hour, Warren gets excellent extension at 6.8 feet, an 81st percentile mark, which makes it play faster. As a result, his heater produced a run value of 17 last season, which was an elite 95th percentile mark.

Everything else in his arsenal was a letdown last year, however. After the four-seamer, Warren's second-most commonly utilized pitch was his sweeper. The offering could be lethal, registering a 33% whiff rate, but it could also get pounded often with batters hitting .336 and slugging .569 against it.

So far this spring, Warren's stuff is looking up. His fastball velocity is coming in nearly a mile per hour faster, and his sweeper is biting even more, generating a ridiculous 3,033 RPMs.

In fact, in his last outing against the Phillies, all five of his offerings graded out as above average or better. If he can continue that kind of performance, it will go a long way towards helping him keep handling lefties and keeping hitters off balance overall.

Against Philadelphia, Warren worked 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while generating three impressive strikeouts. On the spring, he's now posted a 1.42 ERA over 6 1/3 frames without allowing a single walk and striking out 29.2% of batters he's faced.

The Yankees don't need Warren to be an ace. What they do need, especially in the early going, is for him to be a consistent mid-rotation arm. The early returns with the improvements on his fastball and sweeper, plus the competence in his other offerings, suggest that he could do just that.

If that's truly the case, we'll stop seeing the version of Warren who strikes out 10 batters one night and can't get out of the first inning the next. That would be a huge boost, and his performance over the next few weeks will be very telling as the spring unfolds.