New York Yankees' Newest Injury Update Shows a Trade is Imminent

The New York Yankees attempted to add a frontline starter this offseason, but instead, they only came away with Ryan Weathers.

Weathers is a nice piece, but he is far from an ace-caliber pitcher, and it stands to reason that he might not even be in the Yankees' rotation once Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon return during the first half of 2026.

So is New York done trying to acquire starting pitching? Or will the Yankees still pursue a trade for a top-quality arm between now and the August deadline?

Well, based on the latest Cam Schlittler injury update, a trade for another pitcher — whether it occurs now or in the middle of the summer — seems imminent in the Bronx.

Alarms sounded when it was revealed a couple of weeks ago that Schlittler had been dealing with a back/lat issue. It didn't seem like a big deal at the time, especially considering that it was his left lat rather than his throwing arm.

But now, things are beginning to get worrisome.

Schlittler still isn't ready to pitch in the Grapefruit League, even though the 24-year-old told Bob Klapish of NJ.com that his lat is feeling "much better."

But here's the real kicker: Schlittler initially suffered the lat injury last season.

"Either way, Schlittler is taking his physical therapy seriously. He’s in the trainer’s room on a daily basis. But he’s also honest enough to admit ignoring the problem after a late-summer flare up in 2025," Klapisch wrote.

The Yankees have historically been very hush-hush with injuries, but it seems like Schlittler did not even inform the training staff that anything was wrong last summer.

Lat injuries are no joke, either. Remember: Luis Gil missed the first several months of 2025 due to a lat strain, although that was in his throwing arm. Klapisch also cited Luis Severino and Clarke Schmidt of recent examples of players whose seasons were derailed by lat problems.

Now for the point of this story: Schlittler's health issue is more of a reason to believe that New York will be acquiring another hurler at some point this year.

Injuries almost always occur to pitching staffs. Heck, the Yanks know that first hand with both Cole and Rodon currently on the shelf. And who is to say that Schlittler will even be ready for Opening Day at this point?

There might not be anyone incredibly intriguing available right now, but as the season progresses, bigger names (like Minnesota Twins star Joe Ryan, for example) could hit the trading block, and the Yankees have the assets to strike.

Schlittler was expected to be a stalwart in New York's rotation this year after logging a 2.96 ERA in 14 regular-season starts in 2025 and putting forth an electrifying effort rife with moxie in the playoffs.

But the closer we get to the start of 2026, the more of a concern Schlittler's lat becomes. The Yankees may have struck out on Freddy Peralta, but that does not mean they'll miss on the next available star.

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