TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees have seen this movie before. A young pitcher with electric stuff and a bright future develops a nagging lat issue. The team says it is nothing to worry about. The pitcher insists he feels fine. And then the season begins, and that small problem becomes something much bigger.
Luis Severino learned that lesson the hard way. Lat injuries derailed his seasons in both 2019 and 2023. Clarke Schmidt missed from May until September in 2024 with a similar partial tear. Now Cam Schlittler, the 25-year-old right-hander the Yankees are counting on to anchor their rotation, is dealing with the same type of discomfort. And the organization is walking a tightrope between caution and urgency.
Schlittler’s lat issue dates back further than the Yankees first let on
When Cam Schlittler was shut down early in camp with what the Yankees described as mid-back and left lat inflammation, it seemed minor. He downplayed the issue himself, saying his concern level was “zero” and that he just wanted to stay ahead of it before Opening Day.
But reporting from Bob Klapisch of NJ.com revealed a more complicated timeline. The discomfort actually began during a late-summer flare-up in 2025. Schlittler admitted he did not fully address it.
“I didn’t really take enough time off (in late October). I never gave it a chance to feel 100 percent,” Schlittler told Klapisch.
The pain receded after the Yankees’ October run ended but returned when Schlittler reported to Florida this February. He has been receiving daily treatment in the training room. The good news is the discomfort has not spread to his throwing arm. But it has already prevented him from working on the new changeup he planned to develop this offseason.
Schlittler throws live BP and clears a key test
On Wednesday, Schlittler took a significant step forward. He threw 25 pitches of live batting practice on a back field, facing hitters for the first time since being shut down two weeks ago. It was a critical checkpoint in his spring buildup.
If he recovers without issues, Schlittler will face hitters again Sunday before potentially making his first Grapefruit League appearance late next week.
Manager Aaron Boone expressed confidence that Schlittler will be available for the start of the season, though he acknowledged the pitcher will not be fully stretched out.
“I expect him to be good,” Boone said before Wednesday’s session. “Now, I don’t think he’ll be to 80-90 pitches yet. But I’ll take 70 pitches of Cam Schlittler, especially with some of the off-days you have. Even if you’re in a piggyback situation for a time or two, sign me up for that.”
The Yankees have four off-days before they play their 10th game, which means they do not technically need a fifth starter right away. But if Schlittler is healthy enough, the plan is to use him from the beginning of the year.
Why the Severino and Schmidt parallels matter
This is where the organization’s history creates anxiety. Klapisch noted in his reporting that lat injuries are particularly dangerous for pitchers because they occur at the tendon-to-bone junction in the upper back, where blood supply is limited. That means they heal slowly. Re-injury is common for pitchers who rush their rehab or convince themselves that close to healthy is healthy enough.
Severino’s career was defined by lat problems. The right-hander lost most of 2019 and then significant time again in 2023 to similar injuries. Schmidt’s 2024 season was wrecked by a lat tear that kept him sidelined for four months. Luis Gil also missed the opening months of 2025 due to a lat strain.
The Yankees say there is a wide gap between caution and panic, and they are firmly on the cautious side. But the pattern is hard to ignore. Young arm. Heavy workload the year before. Lingering lat soreness that was initially minimized. It is a sequence Yankees fans have watched play out too many times.
The Yankees cannot afford another rotation setback
Schlittler was sensational in his rookie year. He posted a 2.96 ERA with 84 strikeouts across 73 innings in 14 starts. His fastball touched 100 mph. His eight-inning, 12-strikeout masterpiece in the Wild Card series against the Red Sox was one of the best postseason debuts by a Yankees pitcher in recent memory.
The Yankees need that version of Schlittler this year. Gerrit Cole is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and is not expected back until May or June. Carlos Rodon is recovering from an elbow cleanout. Clarke Schmidt is out for the season after his own Tommy John surgery last July. Max Fried is the only fully healthy ace-caliber arm in the rotation right now.
If Schlittler’s lat issue worsens and forces him to the injured list, the Yankees would be left relying on Will Warren, Luis Gil and Ryan Weathers behind Fried. That is a lot to ask of a group that does not include a single proven frontline starter.
Wednesday’s live BP session was a positive sign. But one 25-pitch outing on a back field does not erase the concerns. The Severino and Schmidt comparisons linger for a reason. The Yankees know it. And they are managing Schlittler accordingly, even if they will not say so publicly.
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