Cam Schlittler may have done enough to make the All-Star Game start a no-brainer. Whether he actually takes the mound Tuesday is still up in the air.
The Yankees and their 25-year-old right-hander were still sorting through the decision Saturday evening, with a few conversations already held this week and more expected after his final first-half outing. Schlittler, a first-time All-Star, wanted to wait and see how his arm felt before committing, according to a team source with knowledge of the talks. The source spoke on condition of anonymity in exchange for candor.
What Schlittler did in his last start before the break only strengthened his case. He worked 6 2/3 innings in a 4-2 Yankees win over the Nationals at Nationals Park, allowing two runs and showing the kind of poise that has defined his first half. Aaron Boone called it “That was huge,” after the game.
Schlittler’s afternoon started with a jolt. James Wood jumped on the first pitch of the game for a solo homer, and Curtis Mead added another solo shot in the first inning.
After that, though, Schlittler settled in and kept Washington from doing much else. He struck out six, walked four, allowed four hits and threw 99 pitches.
Before the game, Boone said he believed there was a “pretty good chance” Schlittler would pitch in Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia. The Yankees have leaned on him all season, and the workload shows it: he has made all 20 of his starts and thrown 118 2/3 innings, second most in the American League.
That matters for New York, too. The club is waiting on Max Fried, who is dealing with an elbow bone bruise, and Carlos Rodón, who has elbow inflammation, while also hoping Gerrit Cole can find ace form again after a rocky first half coming back from Tommy John surgery.
Schlittler wasn’t ready to commit after his start.
“I don’t know,” Schlittler said. “Really just haven’t had that conversation. We’ll see what happens in the next day or two, and if I’m comfortable doing that, I’ll do it.”
If AL manager John Schneider of the Toronto Blue Jays gives Schlittler the ball, that would likely make the decision easier for him. The Yankees’ last pitcher to start an All-Star Game was Cole in 2023.
There’s also a practical case for Schlittler to pitch. Tuesday lines up with his normal bullpen day between starts, and he would still have an extra day of rest before the Yankees open the second half Friday against the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium.
Even Dylan Cease, Schlittler’s main competition for the starting job, sounded like he understood the pecking order. Cease leads the AL with 148 strikeouts, while Schlittler is second with 137, though Cease has made only 17 starts. Sonny Gray of the Red Sox has also put together a strong first half, going 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA in 17 starts.
Cease said Wednesday that the decision should hinge on Schlittler’s availability.
“A lot of it is dependent on if Cam can start,” Cease told reporters Wednesday. “I feel like he’s probably earned it.
If he’s not throwing, then I would love to throw my name in the hat. It’s above my pay grade.”
Schneider could still lean toward Cease, and there’s at least some logic to that if he wanted to needle the Yankees. But Cease’s own comment makes the situation awkward if Schlittler is healthy enough to go: handing the start to someone else would mean passing over the pitcher who appears to have earned it.
Saturday’s performance only sharpened that argument. Washington entered the game slugging .481 against fastballs, best in the majors, and Schlittler attacked them with three upper-90s offerings - a four-seamer, sinker and cutter. After the rocky first inning, he controlled the rest of the game and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fourth by getting Nasim Nuñez to fly out to shortstop.
Boone said the Nationals were a difficult opponent, though he stopped short of calling them the toughest.
“Tough to say,” Boone said. “Moments in time are always different, and what teams. I will say, just being here and seeing that lineup, seeing what they run out there and preparing for this series, it’s a heavy offense.”
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