The New York Yankees have confirmed on Sunday that Cam Schlittler will start as scheduled against the Boston Red Sox in the series finale at Yankee Stadium, despite a recent drop in his form.
According to ESPN reporter Jorge Castillo, the Yankees have decided to continue with their rotation, with Schlittler locked in for Sunday’s matchup. The team also adjusted its pitching plans for the week, shifting Will Warren from his scheduled Sunday start to Monday in Cleveland to balance workload after a rain-shortened series.
The 25-year-old enters the game with a strong overall record of 7-3 and a 1.89 ERA, but he comes off his shortest outing of the season. In his last start, he allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits in 4⅓ innings during a 9-4 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday.
That outing marked a clear dip from his early-season dominance and raised questions about his rhythm on the mound. The right-hander has completed fewer than five innings in four of his 27 career starts. He has also allowed more than two runs in seven outings, showing occasional struggles even within an otherwise strong rookie campaign.
Schlittler addressed his recent performance after his last start and admitted he lost focus at key moments, especially while working on his fastball command. Schlittler’s fastball averaged 96.8 mph in his most recent outing, about 1 mph lower than in his first 13 starts.
The slight drop aligned with his reduced effectiveness, as hitters capitalized on missed locations and extended at-bats. Before Tuesday’s struggles, Schlittler went 5–1 with a 1.07 ERA over his previous eight starts, showing strong command and limiting damage across multiple outings.
One of those performances came earlier this season against Boston, when he allowed one earned run on four hits over eight innings in a 4–2 Yankees win on April 23. He also faced the Red Sox in a high-pressure postseason setting during Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series, where he struck out 12 batters over eight shutout innings in a 4–0 victory.
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That outing remains one of the most dominant starts of his career. The Yankees will also deal with uncertainty behind the plate after Austin Wells was placed on the 10-day injured list with cervical headaches, forcing New York to rely on Ali Sánchez or J.C. Escarra to catch Schlittler in Sunday’s game.
The Red Sox have won 10 of their last 13 road games and hold a 6–1 record in their last seven regular-season visits to the Bronx. They opened the series with a 5–3 win, led by Willson Contreras, who hit a two-run home run, drove in three runs, and extended his on-base streak to 17 games while batting .417 (25-for-60) during that stretch.
