The Yankees haven’t made any announcements regarding their playoff rotation, but their probable pitchers for the rest of the regular season may offer a window into their thinking.
Will Warren is set to start Friday night’s series opener against the Baltimore Orioles, followed by fellow rookie Cam Schlittler on Saturday and Luis Gil on Sunday.
That would put Schlittler in line to pitch Game 3 of a potential series in the Wild Card round on regular rest next Thursday.
“We’ll see how the next couple days unfold. He’s certainly in the mix for that,” manager Aaron Boone said of Schlittler. “But again, we’ll see how this 24, 48, 72 hours unfolds to determine that.”
The Yankees are expected to use Max Fried and Carlos Rodón in the first two games of any playoff series, but how the rest of the rotation stacks up behind them has been less certain.
The flame-throwing Schlittler has made only 13 starts in his MLB career, but he boasts a 3.27 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 66 innings. Boone has raved about the 24-year-old’s confidence.
Gil, meanwhile, did not make his season debut until early August after suffering a high-grade lat strain during spring training. He is 4-1 with a 3.29 ERA in 10 starts, but he’s walked 31 batters against 39 strikeouts in 52 innings.
If he pitches Sunday as planned, Gil would not be on regular rest again until after the Wild Card round.
Boone acknowledged there’s always wiggle room for this weekend’s plans to change.
“I would call them probables,” Boone said. “But yeah, absolutely.”
Gil, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year, made two playoff starts for the Yankees last postseason, including in Game 4 of the World Series. Even if he didn’t pitch in a Wild Card game, Gil could very well factor into the Yankees’ rotation plans in future rounds.
Of course, the Yankees hope to avoid the Wild Card round altogether.
The Yankees entered Thursday tied for first place in the AL East with the Toronto Blue Jays, who hold the tiebreaker after winning the head-to-head season series.
If they finish ahead of the Blue Jays and win the division, the Yankees would get a first-round bye and go directly to the ALDS.
BYE THE WAY
Since the MLB playoffs expanded to 12 teams in 2022 — and thus introduced the best-of-three Wild Card round — debates have raged about the benefit of a first-round bye.
The main pro, of course, is that earning a bye eliminates the risk of a first-round upset. The biggest con is that teams can become stale with nearly a week off.
But to Boone, there’s no question about the ideal path.
“I’ll take the bye all day long,” Boone said. “It’s winning a series, essentially, without having to play one. Certainly, anything can happen in the postseason, but anything can happen in a best-of-three in the Wild Card.”
In the first three years of the current format, six of the 12 teams that earned a bye were eliminated in the ALDS or NLDS. Last year’s Yankees were among those to advance beyond the divisional round after earning a bye.
“With the things you have available from a facility and the things that we have access to now, you do a pretty good job of staying as sharp as you can, in getting real reps and looks and stuff,” Boone said.
“Obviously, nothing replicates a playoff game and being in those do-or-die situations, so you do your best to take advantage of the time and the benefits of that.”
DOMINANT DEVIN
It’s been an uneven season for Devin Williams, who has been removed from the Yankees’ closer role twice due to stretches of struggles.
But Williams has been heating up at the right time.
Wednesday’s 1-2-3 inning marked Williams’ seventh consecutive scoreless appearance. He boasts 10 strikeouts and has allowed only three hits over seven innings in those outings.
“He’s pitching with a lot more conviction, confidence, typically ahead in the count more often,” Boone said Thursday. “And I think [he is] doing a really good job of using his fastball and changeup, so it’s hard to just sell out to one thing.”
The Yankees acquired Williams, a two-time National League Reliever of the Year, from the Milwaukee Brewers in the offseason. He entered Thursday with a 3-6 record and a 4.85 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 60 innings.
David Bednar has settled into the Yankees’ closer role since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates before the trade deadline, but Williams figures to be one of his primary set-up men come October.
Asked if he is confident Williams will be OK on the playoff stage, Boone replied without hesitation, “Yes.”
