Yankees' spring training depth is totally justifying their Cam Schlittler strategy

It's possible that no New York Yankees pitcher needs their bullets saved more than Cam Schlittler. None of their likely playoff starters is more fastball reliant, and none of their likely playoff starters possesses a more dominant four-seamer than the man who sent the Boston Red Sox packing last October.

Schlittler's arrival to camp made that calculus immediately more complex. While he wasn't suffering from a major ailment, he was battling against a lingering one. Schlittler has reportedly fought lat pain — no, not that lat — on and off since the summer of 2024. He, admittedly, didn't spend enough time resting after his triumphant first MLB season was finished. When he kicked up the intensity, the disruptive, but not disqualifying, soreness returned.

That meant he couldn't face hitters while his rotation mates could. It meant he had to go from the mound to flat ground. It meant he was behind, even if he wound up being Opening Day ready.

With three weeks to go before Opening Day, Schlittler seems likely to start the season healthy, but not built up to the point of being able to unleash his top-tier stuff 100 to 110 times. He'll exit after four or five. He'll need a caddy. And, despite the way some Yankee fans still inexplicably feel about Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn, the team should be completely fine with that strategy. Spring training has proven the Yankees' front office correct; without Carlos Carrasco and Marcus Stroman, and even with a partial performance from Schlittler, their rotation is in solid shape.

And there's more where that came from below the surface.

Yankees' rotation depth beyond Cam Schlittler could carry team before Carlos Rodón, Gerrit Cole return

Every publicly available Rodón bullpen session or Cole batting practice seems to emphasize the same thesis: something was very wrong with both men before they went down, but it's alright now. Both Yarbrough and Blackburn, in the interim, range from "capable" to "quietly solid". Neither is a liability over the grind of a 162-game season.

And then there are the kids. Elmer Rodriguez looks MLB-readier every time he appears. Carlos Lagrange could caddy immediately. Ben Hess? Not far behind.

Schlittler's offseason was supposed to involve the addition of a few new pitches. Because of the disruptions, the team decided to roll with his current arsenal instead of adjusting it. That makes the heat of his down-the-stretch fastballs even more crucial. The less zip he uses when his body is still acclimating to a new campaign, the better. Don't overuse him. Underuse him, if anything.

There's a chance things don't work out. Every Yankee fan remains guarded, waiting for the other shoe to drop. But that doesn't mean handling Schlittler with care was the wrong decision. It doesn't mean the Yankees didn't collect and develop enough depth to carry the day.

Because, while games count equally in both April and September, the Yankees have enough arms to give themselves a fighting chance nightly to open the season. But, under the October lights, Yarbrough can't provide what Schlittler can. That is when the sophomore right-hander needs his peak fastball, without restriction.