Cam Schlittler had every reason to take the All-Star Game stage in Philadelphia. He entered the break with the kind of first-half line that usually gets a pitcher handed the ball in a showcase like that: a league-best 2.05 ERA, 137 strikeouts and a 0.94 WHIP over 20 starts. But the Yankees right-hander made a different call.
Before the starter was even announced, Schlittler went into Aaron Boone’s office Sunday morning and said he did not plan to pitch in the Midsummer Classic at Citizens Bank Park, even though he was healthy and available. The decision caught plenty of people off guard, but Schlittler said it had nothing to do with the honor itself.
“Congrats to Dylan. He’s been great this year. He deserves that,” Schlittler said.
Late Saturday night, Blue Jays manager John Schneider, who is running the American League team, picked his own ace, Dylan Cease, to start. Cease brings a 2.56 ERA and 148 strikeouts in 98 1/3 innings, and Schneider said the choice was never going to change.
“If Cam was going to pitch, my decision was still going to be Dylan,” Schneider said.
Schlittler said his own decision came first. He had already decided to step away from the start before learning about Cease. Schneider also pointed to Cease leading the league in strikeouts as the reason for the pick.
The Yankees pitcher’s explanation was rooted in something bigger than the All-Star stage: the state of his own rotation. The exhibition would have landed on his normal between-starts throw day, and that is exactly where the concern came in. He did not want to force the kind of ramp-up that could leave him compromised.
“I don’t want to put that risk in there of letting the team down,” Schlittler said. “If I were to not recover the right way, and I’m dragging a little bit, then that wouldn’t benefit anyone. But I’m on the roster, and if they need me, then I’ll throw.”
Boone supported the choice. He said Schlittler was physically fine, but had become careful about treating a recovery day like a full-effort outing.
“I just wanted him to be thoughtful in how he came to that decision,” Boone said.
He added, “There’s nothing wrong with him, he feels good,” Boone said.
That caution makes sense when you look at what the Yankees are dealing with. Carlos Rodon is out with elbow inflammation.
Max Fried has an elbow bone bruise. Gerrit Cole is only nine major league starts removed from Tommy John surgery.
Will Warren and Ryan Weathers have already gone beyond their previous workload highs.
Schlittler is in that same conversation now, too. He has thrown 118 2/3 innings this season and is on pace to sail past his career high of 149 2/3, set last year between the majors and minors.
His final start before the break also offered a little reminder that the tank is not infinite. Even while averaging nearly 99 mph, he allowed two first-inning homers and walked four.
A national broadcast analyst said something seemed off.
Schlittler still plans to be in Philadelphia for the All-Star festivities. He has volunteered to help Ben Rice during Monday’s Home Run Derby, and his parents, siblings and other family members will be there, too.
“The whole experience will be great,” Schlittler said.
Rice is second in the American League with 29 home runs, and Cody Bellinger is also headed to the event as a three-time All-Star. So the Yankees will still have a presence in Philadelphia, even without Schlittler taking the mound.
The bigger assignment, though, is waiting on the other side of the break. Schlittler is lined up to start the Yankees’ first game of the second half, a Friday night meeting with the reigning champion Dodgers in the Bronx. That is the outing he chose to protect.
The Yankees finished the first half at 54-42, second in the AL East and three games behind the Tampa Bay Rays after sweeping the Nationals. For Schlittler, the priority was clear: the race in front of him mattered more than the showcase he passed up.
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