CBS Sports | RotoWire Staff: Cam Schlittler, who was tentatively scheduled to start Friday, had his turn in the rotation pushed back due to upper arm soreness, Aaron Boone told the press. The right-hander’s MRI came back negative, giving hope that he can start next series against Toronto. The rookie made his MLB debut shortly before the All-Star break, replacing the injured Clarke Schmidt in the rotation.
SNY | Phillip Martinez: The Yankees also decided to have Max Fried skip pitching in Atlanta as he recovers from the blister issues that bugged him while the first half came to a close. So with both Schlittler and Fried down, they went with Ian Hamilton as an opener in order to keep Will Warren and Marcus Stroman on track to start Saturday and Sunday. The 2025 All-Star, who exited his last outing on July 12th, said it’s doing better and that he remains “hopeful” he’ll be able to start during the upcoming series against the Blue Jays that begins Monday. Carlos Rodón should start the beginning of that series, but if all goes according to plan (famous last words), Schlittler and Fried should get the next two in some order.
While we’re at it on injuries, Boone went rapid-fire through a few other pitchers on the shelf: Luis Gil, Ryan Yarbrough, Mark Leiter Jr., and Fernando Cruz. Check ‘em out here:
Yankees injury updates:
Luis Gil – scheduled to throw 55-60 pitches for Somerset
Ryan Yarbrough – Continuing throwing program but has not tossed from a mound
Mark Leiter Jr. – Continues throwing program. Hoping for bullpen July 21-24 at Toronto
Fernando Cruz – Recovery is…
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) July 18, 2025
MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: One more pitching update. With New York in need of a fresh arm, brief bullpen fill-in Rico Garcia has already been designated for assignment after a bad showing on Friday night in Atlanta. Best of luck remembering this likely one-game Yankee on the end-of-year Sporcle quiz. Allan Winans will come up to take Garcia’s spot on the roster.
The Athletic | Ian O’Connor: ($) O’Connor ponders two Aaron Judge-related questions. The first is mathematical — can the Yankee captain overtake Babe Ruth’s mark for most homers in pinstripes? The second is ethereal — can he supplant one of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, or Mantle on the team’s Mount Rushmore in the eyes of fans? The answer to both appears to be maybe, with the first reliant on health and the second on championships. Yankees legends are split on the latter question, with Roy White saying he already views Judge as on par with DiMaggio and Mantle while Al Downing says “I don’t think you can put him in a category with Mickey.”
Baseball America | Carlos Collazo: ($) Collazo breaks down the Yankees’ selections in this week’s MLB Draft, highlighting some key trends in the early rounds and sleeper picks from the later rounds. The Yankees’ top picks on both sides of the ball stand out less for overwhelming physical attributes and more for their ability to control the zone. In the later rounds, keep an eye on right-handers Blake Gillespie, the ninth-rounder out of Charlotte who found success with an impressive slider, and the four-pitch mix of 14th-rounder Brennan Stuprich.
NorthJersey.com | Pete Caldera: Five Yankees predictions to whet your appetite for the second half. Aaron Judge hits 60 homers on the dot. The Yankees swing a deal with the D-Backs for third baseman Eugenio Suarez, starter Merrill Kelly, and reliever Jalen Beeks. Cody Bellinger wins AL Player of the Month for July. Luis Gil, Fernando Cruz, and Mark Leiter Jr. return down the stretch. And the Yankees eke out another AL East title. Caldera himself calls these predictions “slightly unhinged,” so you can take them with a grain of salt. Time will tell how prescient they are.
TimeOut | Juan A. Ramírez: To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hamilton, the Yankees will be celebrating the smash hit musical at Yankee Stadium on August 25th. The first 10,000 attendees will receive a Yankees hat co-branded with the Hamilton logo while past and current cast members will perform the national anthem and “God Bless America.” Some tickets sold will also raise money for Beyond the Stage Door, a non-profit which helps people transition into a career in the theater.