Will Warren could give the Yankees exactly what their rotation needs in 2026

Last season was a bumpy road for Will Warren, who the Yankees slotted into their rotation out of camp following a slew of key pitching injuries.

Despite some of the growing pains, he was still able to make all 33 of his starts and leading all rookie pitchers in strikeouts (171) during the 2025 campaign.

The Yankees know what Warren is capable of; an ultra-competitive pitcher who showed an ability to shrug off ugly outings and rebound five days later that could make some big leaps in 2026.

He’s a big part of their rotation, and if he can build off the progress he made in 2025, the Yankees might have the perfect anchor for the middle of a volatile rotation.

READ MORE: Yankees’ George Lombard Jr. showing lots of promise in Spring Training

The Yankees Might Get a Big Season Out of Will Warren

After pitching to a 7.79 ERA and 4.49 FIP through his first 13 career appearances, Warren produced a 4.17 ERA and 4.05 FIP over his final 26 starts, which are above-average marks for a starting pitcher.

The Yankees got to see him learn and grow in real time, and there’s reason to believe he could take another rather significant leap during the 2026 season.

A 3.91 xFIP and 4.08 SIERA suggest that Will Warren dealt with poor luck during the 2025 season and was supposed to be an above-average starter, and I think there’s plenty of room to improve those underlying metrics.

Getting more chases and missing more bats in-zone is an attainable goal for him since he has a strong pitch mix and has shifted his mound positioning to create even tougher angles for hitters.

If he can leverage that changed look to generate more missed bats and fewer barrels allowed, then the Yankees could have a reliable no. 3 starter.

He has popped in Eno Sarris’ Stuff+ model due to some of the tweaks he’s made in Spring Training, having a 17-point improvement from 2025 to 2026.

More lift on his fastball while creating those unique release points could be exactly what he needs to improve his in-game efficiency, and it might give him a puncher’s chance at taking down some of the best lineups in the game.

The Blue Jays and Dodgers, who made the 2025 World Series and were evenly matched throughout the series, clobbered Warren and that’s a result of his inability to induce chases or run high whiff rates.

Showing an ability to compete against those teams won’t guarantee him a playoff start, but it makes him an option in a sport that forces teams to get uncomfortable with their pitching staff in October.

Bryce Miller took the mound for Seattle in the ALCS despite a hideous 2025 season, Max Scherzer made two World Series starts after producing a 5.19 ERA and 4.99 FIP during the regular season, and Luis Gil started Game 1 of the ALDS.

Another example would be using Jordan Montgomery in Game 4 of the ALDS after early-season injuries to Luis Severino and James Paxton knocked them out of the 2020 season, a do-or-die game for the Bronx Bombers.

The Yankees learned how resiliant and tough their big left-hander could be in a critical moment, and Aaron Boone often echoes praise of Warren’s strong mental game and competitive nature.

Jordan Montgomery played an important role on the 2021 Yankees, serving as their second-best starter by WAR (3.2) as he produced a good-not-great ERA but took the ball every fifth day.

When the Yankees traded him at the 2022 trade deadline they lost that key anchor in the middle of their rotation, and the staff suffered for it by the time the ALCS rolled around and Jameson Taillon was tasked with a Game 1 start.

I look at Montgomery as a realistic comparison for what Warren could become; a high-3 ERA starter who is underappreciated for his solid-not-great numbers but becomes essential over the course of a 162-game season.

Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole are returning from surgery, Cam Schlittler had lingering back tightness, Ryan Weathers is oft-injured, Luis Gil is oft-injured and has errant command, and Max Fried has had IL stints in all but one MLB season.

It may not be the tantalizing ace-level outcome, but the Yankees missed what Jordan Montgomery was during that ill-fated 2023 season, and they could desperately use a dependable innings muncher with a sub-4.00 ERA.