New York Yankees Must Admit the Obvious About Will Warren

Earlier in the season, it appeared that New York Yankees pitcher Will Warren had turned a corner. He owned a 2.39 ERA through seven starts, and he made it through six innings three times during that span.

Since then, things have unraveled for Warren.

Over his last 11 starts, Warren has logged a 5.34 ERA, rising his ERA to 4.15 on the season. He hasn't thrown a full six innings since May, and he has allowed five-plus earned runs in three of his last four outings.

On Tuesday night, Warren was shelled for six runs on seven hits (including three home runs) across four innings in a 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, his latest rough showing of the campaign.

Warren now lays claim to a 1.37 WHIP and has surrendered 13 home runs through 93.1 frames, and it's becoming more and more obvious that the Yankees simply cannot trust him against good teams ... or as anything more than a back-end-of-the-rotation starter.

To be fair, Warren is perfectly fine as a No. 4 or 5, but right now, with Max Fried and Carlos Rodon both sidelined, New York is asking him to be a No. 3.

It's time for the Yankees to admit that he simply isn't capable of that.

A former top prospect, Warren was once viewed as a starter with frontline potential, and he shown glimpses of it. But he hasn't been consistent enough, and there are too many times when he implodes.

Warren certainly isn't a failed project. He can still absolutely be a part of a ballclub's starting rotation, but he isn't what many felt he would be.

The 27-year-old definitely teased fans over the first month of the 2026 campaign, but he has since come crashing back down to earth.

With Fried and Rodon out for a little while longer, New York might actually have to consider making a move to address its pitching staff, which is something I was totally against earlier in the season.

When the Yanks are healthy, there is absolutely no need for another starter. But as with any other squad, injuries happen, and the Yankees have found that out the hard way.

That has incidentally applied more pressure to arms like Warren and Ryan Weathers to deliver, and both have come up short rather regularly over the last couple of months.

Warren has solid stuff. He gets whiffs, and there are times when he looks dominant. But there are far too many other occasions when he is overwhelmingly hittable, and we have seen that far too much this year.

Yankees Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Yankees. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.