The New York Yankees expected Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodón to headline their rotation in 2026. They expected Cam Schlittler and Ryan Weathers to dominate national headlines after their explosive starts.
What they may not have expected was Will Warren quietly emerging as one of the most important pitchers on the roster.
That reality became even harder to ignore after Sunday’s 13-8 win over the Athletics, when Warren delivered six innings of steady baseball despite pitching through defensive mistakes, long offensive delays and constant traffic on the bases.
According to MLB.com’s Theo DeRosa, Yankees manager Aaron Boone believes Warren’s lack of national attention actually motivates him. Boone suggested the right-hander pitches with the mentality that he deserves to belong in the same conversation as the bigger names surrounding him.
Right now, the numbers support that belief.
Warren improved to 7-1 on the season after allowing three unearned runs against the Athletics while striking out five. More importantly, he continued a trend that is rapidly changing how the Yankees should view him moving forward.
This no longer looks like a temporary hot streak.
Will Warren’s Advanced Metrics Suggest This Breakout Is Real
GettyWill Warren #29 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Athletics in the bottom of the first inning at Sutter Health Park on May 31, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The Yankees saw flashes of Warren’s potential last season when he struck out 171 batters across 162.1 innings. However, inconsistency, command issues and loud contact often prevented him from becoming a reliable top-end option.
That version of Warren looks gone.
According to FanGraphs, Warren owns a 3.22 ERA, 3.25 FIP and 25.8% strikeout rate through his first 12 starts of 2026. Even more encouraging for the Yankees, his walk rate has dropped from 9.1% last season to 7.0%.
The command improvement matters because it is allowing his entire arsenal to play up.
Warren’s K-BB percentage jumped from 14.9% in 2025 to 18.8% this season. His WHIP also improved from 1.37 to 1.20. Those are the types of numbers typically associated with legitimate front-half rotation starters, not overlooked depth arms.
The contact quality against him has improved dramatically as well.
After allowing a 10.8% barrel rate and 45.2% hard-hit rate last season, Warren has lowered those marks to 6.6% and 39.8% in 2026. That improvement becomes even more impressive considering Warren does not rely on overpowering velocity. His fastball averages only 93.8 mph.
Instead, he is winning with pitch mix, confidence and unpredictability.
Yankees Rotation Suddenly Looks Much Deeper
GettyStarting pitcher Will Warren #29 of the New York Yankees is pulled by Manager Aaron Boone #17 in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 12, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
MLB.com noted that Warren has increased his sinker usage against left-handed hitters this season, giving opponents another fastball variation to process alongside his four-seamer.
That adjustment appears to be changing everything.
Hitters are making weaker contact. Warren is throwing more strikes. He is also pitching deeper into games while maintaining swing-and-miss stuff. After averaging fewer than five innings per start in 2025, Warren is now averaging 5.36 innings per outing.
For the Yankees, that development could become massive later in the season.
The organization already entered 2026 with championship expectations. However, modern postseason runs rarely survive with only two dependable starters. Teams need rotation depth capable of handling pressure deep into October.
That is where Warren suddenly changes the conversation.
The Yankees may still market Cole, Rodón and Schlittler as the faces of the rotation. Those names will continue generating headlines around baseball.
But if Warren keeps pitching like this, the Yankees may have quietly developed one of the American League’s most valuable hidden weapons.
Yankees’ Overlooked Starter Keeps Dominating