A huge development in the 2025 Yankees season so far has been Will Warren.
The young right-hander broke camp with the team largely due to injuries to the likes of Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil. But a couple of months in, and Warren is starting to cement himself as a part of the rotation moving forward, and Tuesday night was the latest example.
Warren pitched 5.2 scoreless innings against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, striking out a career-high 10 batters to help the Yankees win 5-2.
The Yankees have seen this sort of performance from Warren this season a few times, but the most encouraging part is how consistent he’s been.
Warren’s last start saw him strike out nine batters against the Mariners, and in the start before that, he struck out seven against the Athletics across a career-high 7.1 innings pitched.
“Just the next wave of execution,” manager Aaron Boone said of the difference in Warren of late. “Gaining a bit more confidence and knowing his stuff plays. He has different ways to get you out…. He’s putting it together more now. We’ve been seeing this to start the year and parts of last year.”
“[The confidence level] is feeling good,” Warren said of his start. “Just trying to keep it rolling.”
The Yankees skipper said there’s still room for improvement in Warren’s game, even after this dominant stretch. Specifically, he believes Warren can finish off batters better, especially when he’s ahead in the count.
But Boone is happy with how Warren has responded this season. It wasn’t too long ago that Warren had an ERA nearing 6.00 — after pitching to a 10.32 ERA across six games (five starts) a season ago. But three consecutive dominant starts have lowered his ERA to 4.05, and he’s picked up two wins along the way.
When asked if he sees more double-digit strikeout games in Warren’s future, the longtime Yankees manager wouldn’t make guarantees, but Tuesday’s performance didn’t take him off guard either.
“I don’t think we’re surprised. His stuff really plays,” he said. “It’s just about that next wave of execution that we’re seeing more and more of…He has the arsenal to do it. Biggest thing is getting outs.”
Warren was asked if there’s a difference between him now and earlier in the season, and the 25-year-old gave a response as confident as the way he pitched on the mound.
“I think I was close this whole time,” he said. “It’s just like I talk about, the execution, just sticking with our plan and trusting that I’m here for a reason.”
After Tuesday’s win, Warren now has 60 strikeouts this season, 17 more than any other MLB rookie pitcher. Over his last four starts, Warren has struck out 34 batters across 22.2 innings.
Ben Rice and Aaron Judge, the sluggers whose homers powered the Yankees’ win on Tuesday, echoed their manager’s sentiments and knew this was in Warren all along.
“I feel like today and his last few starts, he’s just seemed a lot more confident out there, stayed aggressive, and he’s just not giving in out there,” Rice said. “It’s been fun to watch.”
“In spring training, seeing him [I thought], this is going to be something special here when he finally gets the call-up,” Judge said. “And it’s been fun to watch him grow and develop the last couple of seasons, especially this season. Seen him making huge strides over the last couple of starts. He’s going to be a big piece for us down the road, and he’s a big piece for us right now.”
Indeed, Warren has been just that for the Yankees. With Gil still on the IL, and without a fifth starter for the time being, Warren will continue to be asked to help the team win every time he’s on the mound. And if the last few weeks are any indication, Warren has the ability to do it.
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