Report: Yankees make quick move on rookie after brutal Yankee Stadium debut

The New York Yankees had to rely on rookie Will Warren as an emergency starter in Wednesday night’s doubleheader against the Los Angeles Angels. Unfortunately, Warren had the worst outing of his brief professional career, allowing eight earned runs over 4.1 innings in an 8-2 loss.

With injuries plaguing the Yankees’ rotation, the doubleheader presented an opportunity to call up Warren as the 27th man. However, the move did not pay off, leading to a disastrous result. Following the game, the Yankees announced via their official X account that Warren would be returning to the minor leagues.

This wasn’t Warren’s first time stepping into an emergency starting role for the Yankees. On July 30, he filled in for Gerrit Cole, who was scratched due to fatigue. In that game, Warren gave up four earned runs over 5.1 innings, a performance that helped the Yankees secure a 7-6 win against the Philadelphia Phillies.

With Nestor Cortes set to start in the series finale against the Angels, the Yankees are returning to their regular rotation. However, they are eager to get Clarke Schmidt and Cody Poteet back from injury to restore the depth they had earlier in the season. As they continue to battle the Baltimore Orioles in the tight AL East race, maintaining a strong rotation will be crucial.

Yankees still believe in Will Warren despite rough 2024

When a pitcher is struggling with a 6.11 ERA in Triple-A, calling him up to the big leagues might seem like a risky move. However, the Yankees clearly see potential in Will Warren, as evidenced by manager Aaron Boone’s comments following Warren’s rough start against the Angels on Wednesday.

“He’s a confident kid, and I really believe he’s going to be a really good pitcher in this league. There’s a lot of good things to take away, but a lot of things, obviously, to still build on,” Boone said, according to Gary Phillips of NY Daily News.

Despite the tough outing, Warren embraced the opportunity and remains optimistic about his future. “It was everything I thought it could be. It was awesome. Obviously, didn’t go the way I planned. But I enjoyed every minute of it,” Warren reflected. He now understands that he needs to be sharper to succeed in the big leagues, especially when pitching in Yankee Stadium.