The New York Yankees have some concerning injury news on a starting pitcher.
The Yankees will enter the 2026 MLB season with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon on the injured list. And, there’s a chance another starter might not be ready for Opening Day.
Yankees insider Bob Klapisch of NJ.com gave a concerning update on Cam Schlittler and his ongoing lat issue.
“In Schlittler’s case, health matters more than attitude. Is he durable enough to get through the season? The Yankees say they’re not worried about Schlittler’s ongoing lat issue, but the 25-year-old right-hander has yet to make an appearance,” Klapich wrote.
“He’s instead undergoing daily treatment to keep a small problem from becoming serious enough to keep him off the Opening Day roster. The good news is that Schlittler’s discomfort, initially diagnosed on the upper left back, has not spread to his throwing arm. The bad news is that even opposite-side problems can affect a pitcher’s rotation when delivering the ball.”
Although Opening Day is still a month away, Schlittler still not throwing is an issue, as he will need to ramp up quickly to be ready for Opening Day.
If Schlittler isn’t ready for Opening Day, the Yankees could go out and add a veteran pitcher for insurance, especially with Cole and Rodon also injured.
Schlittler went 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts last season.
Lat Issue Could be Long-Term for Schlittler
Although the Yankees have said they aren’t concerned with the injury to Schlittler, Klapich believes it could be more serious.
“Is it possible Schlittler will be stuck on the Injured List by the end of March? The Yankees say there’s a wide gulf between caution and panic and there’s currently no reason to drift towards the latter. But a lat disruption is never minor,” Klapich added. “It devastated Luis Severino in both 2019 and 2023. Clarke Schmidt was sidelined from May until September in 2024 with a similar partial tear.
“Such injuries heal slowly because they occur at the tendon-to-bone junction in the upper back, where blood supply is limited. Re-injury is common for pitchers who rush through their rehab or fool themselves into thinking close-to-fine is good enough to get back on the mound. The real dilemma is identifying the cause of the injury. It’s possible Schlittler’s heavy workload in ’25 gradually weakened the muscle and left it susceptible to a minor tear.”
Given that Schmidt missed months due to a lat injury, Schlittler could be an issue. But, Klapich wrote that Schlittler is in the training room daily getting work in to be healthy for Opening Day.
Yankees Could Get Cole Back Soon
Although Schlittler’s injury is a concern, the focus for the Yankees is getting Cole back.
Cole is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, and he threw off the mound. The Yankees pitcher is expected to be back in May or June.
“Everything felt good. I had a good bit of fun,” Cole said. “It was the first day where I was unregulated. The mindset was performance. It’s nice when you get to that point and your objective is to go execute and not think about anything else. It was rewarding and refreshing.”
Cole will help solidify the Yankees’ rotation
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