TAMPA — So long as all continues to go well, Aaron Boone believes Cam Schlittler will be in the Yankees’ season-opening rotation, even if he’s not fully built up by Opening Day.
“I expect him to be good,” the manager said Wednesday, though he added, “I don’t think he’ll be to 80-90 pitches yet.”
Boone shared those sentiments shortly before Schlitter faced live hitters for the first time since having his spring training interrupted by a back/lat injury that never shut down his throwing program. The right-hander was scheduled for one inning and 25 pitches.
Assuming Schlittler recovers from the live BP session without issue, Boone said he will throw about two innings and 30-something pitches in four days. From there, Schlittler would move to a five-day routine and “probably” make his spring debut, Boone said. When Schlittler does that, he’ll ideally throw about three innings and 40-ish pitches.
Because of some off days in the Yankees’ early-season slate, the team won’t need a fifth starter for a bit. However, Boone said the Yankees will want to prioritize keeping their rotation members on schedule.
While the Bombers could use the scheduling to ease Schlittler along and delay his regular season debut, Boone eagerly said, “I’ll take 70 pitches of Cam Schlittler.”
“Especially with some of the off days you have,” Boone continued. “Even if you’re in a piggyback situation for a time or two, sign me up for that. But yeah, I guess that’s possible.”
Schlittler, 25, is heading into his sophomore season with high expectations after his rookie campaign saw him post a 2.96 ERA over 14 starts while logging a career-high workload between the majors and minors. Those numbers don’t include the Boston-area native’s postseason, which featured a dominant start against the Red Sox in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series.
With Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt all starting the year on the injured list, Schlittler is currently part of a projected season-opening rotation that also includes Max Fried, Will Warren, Ryan Weathers and Luis Gil. Fried and Warren are also coming off career-high workloads, while Weathers and Gil have notable injury histories.
Should the Yankees suffer another rotation injury before Rodón or Cole make their expected returns in the first half, swingmen Ryan Yarbrough or Paul Blackburn could slide into a starting role. The Yankees have also been impressed with pitching prospects Elmer Rodríguez and Carlos Lagrange in camp, though they’d like to get the duo some more reps in the minors.
CABRERA’S TIMELINE
Boone and Oswaldo Cabrera said that the utilityman, working his way back from a gnarly ankle fracture, could “possibly” make his spring debut toward the end of next week.
“He’s doing really well. I feel like he’s made real improvement the last couple of weeks,” Boone said. “I know he’s starting to feel really good. It’s just getting that last level of burst.”
Because the Yankees have been slow-playing Cabrera, who has a minor league option, his status for Opening Day is uncertain. If the candidate for a spot on the bench isn’t ready to go, it could create an opportunity for another reserve who can back up at shortstop and/or play the outfield, such as Max Schuemann or Paul DeJong.
THE LATEST ON VOLPE
Boone said that Anthony Volpe has begun hitting off a tee after starting his hitting program with dry swings. However, the shortstop, who will start the season on the IL after undergoing shoulder surgery, hasn’t graduated to batting practice yet.
Volpe is still at least a few weeks away from being able to dive on his repaired shoulder, Boone added.
