The New York Yankees have a big pitching decision to make, and their strategy may surprise you.
Once Carlos Rodon returns from the injured list, which appears to be imminent, the New York Yankees will have a critical decision to make with their pitching staff.
They will have to decide whether to move Ryan Weathers or Will Warren to the bullpen, and what seemed like an easy decision earlier this season has now become pretty painstaking.
Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Rodon will unquestionably comprise the top four in the starting rotation. Who will be the No. 5 starter?
Well, Yankees announcer Michael Kay made a very interesting point before the team's series opener against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.
It won't necessarily come down to who looks better in the starting rotation; it will come down to who projects to be the better reliever.
Because if it is the former, Weathers — who was the clear underdog earlier in 2026 — is the clear winner. After yet another sharp outing against the Mariners on Tuesday evening, Weathers now owns a 3.69 ERA on the year, and his last four starts have been terrific.
New York Yankees pitcher Ryan Weathers. Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images.Warren, on the other hand, has been up and down with a 4.18 ERA and 1.368 WHIP. His numbers look awfully similar to last season's, proving that he is likely a back-end-of-the-rotation starter.
But who will be the superior reliever?
The answer might be Weathers because of his better strikeout numbers and his slightly better control. But both pitchers are similar.
Weathers and Warren both have solid velocity, and you would think they would be able to dial it up even in more in shorter outings.
The question is whether or not New York would really want to remove Weathers from the rotation now based on how well he has been pitching.
Of course, both Weathers and Warren will end up in the bullpen once the playoffs roll around anyway. Barring injury, the Yankees will use their top four in the postseason. They aren't going to roll with five starters.
And considering we have about a month-and-a-half left of regular season play, perhaps this point will be moot in the end.
But it will certainly be intriguing to see what decision New York makes, especially considering it may ultimately affect how it approaches the offseason.
