DUNEDIN, Fla. — Will Warren looked a little different in his spring debut on Tuesday.
That’s because the Yankees’ starter pitched from the third base side of the rubber at TD Ballpark, home of the Blue Jays. Warren has set up from the first base side of the mound since being drafted in 2021, but he’s been working on the change this spring after some collaborative conversations with the Yankees’ pitching department.
Warren is still getting comfortable with the adjustment, but he threw from the third base side of the mound in college at Southeastern Louisiana University.
“I think it’s a healthy attack angle,” the righty said. “It’s a little sharper. Righties, it kind of feels like I’m coming at them. Lefties might feel like the ball is just way out there, especially like a backdoor sweeper, backdoor curveball, and then just making it super sharp going into them.”
Will Warren threw from the first base side of the mound in 2025 (left), but worked from the third base side of the rubber on Tuesday (right).
Warren’s switch coincided with solid results on Tuesday, as he allowed one earned run over 2.2 innings in the Yankees’ first matchup with the Blue Jays since last October’s ALDS. Warren also totaled four hits, zero walks and four strikeouts over 49 pitches.
Asked if shifting to the other side of the mound really makes a difference, Warren replied, “Yes and no.”
“I mean, it doesn’t feel like it’s that big, but you move all the way across, it’s 17 inches or something like that,” he continued. “It’ll mess your lines up a little bit. So I’m just making sure those are sharp, that way I can get ahead and have success.”
Warren, 26, is coming off his first full season in the majors, as well as a career-high workload for his pro career. He recorded a 4.44 ERA – a number inflated by a handful of clunkers – while logging 33 starts and 162.1 innings.
In addition to a new position on the mound, Warren said that he hopes to find more success against lefties in 2026. He believes that “throwing the kitchen sink at them” – using his entire arsenal – will help, but “the main thing is getting ahead in the count.”
On Tuesday, Toronto’s lone run off Warren came on a first-inning single from Jesús Sánchez, a left-handed hitter. Last season, portside swingers had a .786 OPS against Warren, while righties had a .680 OPS.
GOLDY IS ALRIGHT
Paul Goldschmidt isn’t expected to play much vs. righties after struggling against them in 2025, but the backup first baseman found some success against one on Tuesday when he hit a two-run homer off Toronto’s Tyler Rogers in the third inning. Another righty, Jesse Hahn, surrendered a two-run double to Goldschmidt in the fifth frame.
“Whoever’s on the mound, it always feels good to get hits and hit the ball hard, especially that homer,” Goldschmidt said.
A right-handed hitter, Goldschmidt had a .981 OPS against lefties last season, though the 38-year-old became less effective against southpaws as the season progressed. Goldschmidt, now in a reserve role, will surely play against some left-handers this season, but the Yankees plan on letting the lefty-swinging Ben Rice, their primary first baseman and occasional catcher, face them more often than he did in 2025.
FRIED’S THROWING PLAN
Aaron Boone said that Max Fried will throw live batting practice on Wednesday. After that, his next outing against live hitters is expected to come in an actual spring training game, his first of the exhibition season.