New York Yankees announced on Sunday that pitcher Cam Schlittler had decided to withdraw from taking the mound at the All-Star Game in Philadelphia. The young star will make the trip and be on the American League roster, but is not expected to pitch on Tuesday.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone stated that Schlittler decided on his own volition not to throw on Tuesday, in what was going to be his usual bullpen throw day after starting for the team against the Washington Nationals on Saturday.
“I was leaning toward pitching [in the game] the last X amount of weeks,” Schlittler said. “That was kind of the plan. I knew I didn’t line up perfectly. It was going to kind of fall in a bullpen day there.
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“After the game yesterday, [I] thought about it. My priorities are to the team and how I can help this team to win a championship. I wasn’t comfortable enough that I was going to recover 100% to try and go out there for an inning and throw as hard as I can.”
Yankees fans on social media had a divided reception to Schlittler’s announcement. Here are a few reactions on X.
“He’s a fraud and shouldn’t have been selected anyway. No surprise that he thinks he’s too important to pitch one inning,” a fan wrote.
“Smart call. Exhibition innings aren’t worth risking his throw day with a pennant race on the line. Yankees need him fresh in August more than fans need him in the ASG. Would you sit too?” a fan stated.
“I understand protecting your arm. But the All-Star Game is one of the few events that’s truly for the fans. It’s hard to blame older generations for rolling their eyes when healthy players start opting out of baseball’s biggest showcase,” a fan commented.
“This mf cares about winning and I love him,” another fan commented.
“Great decision Cam..purely unselfish and thinking of others what a awesome guy you are..got to stay healthy you will still always be an All Star,” a fan added.
Schlittler, earning a little over the league minimum at $801,465 for the 2026 season, currently holds the best bWAR among all qualified American League pitchers with 4.1, with a 9-5 record and 2.05 ERA. He ranks in the 98th percentile among all pitchers in the MLB on pitching value, according to Baseball Savant.
Cam Schlittler’s decision came before Dylan Cease starter decision
On Saturday, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease was announced as the American League starter over Schlittler. According to the Yankees ace, he relayed his decision to Boone before the announcement was made by AL manager John Schneider.
“I found out that after [I told Boone],” Schlittler said. “I walked in today, and I had a conversation with Boone. I thought about it. Congrats to Dylan, he deserves it. He’s been great this year. That decision [to have Cease start] had nothing to do with my decision.”
With Tuesday his third day after a start, Schlitter is expected to be the pitcher to start the Yankees’ second half as they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. However, his manager has yet to reveal the team’s rotation for the three-game series.
“We’ve talked about our rotation [against the Dodgers],” Boone said. “I’m not ready to reveal that yet. But we have an idea of the way we’re going. But [I] kind of want to get through not only today, but the next couple of days.”
Schlittler will be named as a reserve alongside his teammate Cody Bellinger. Captain Aaron Judge was selected as a starter but will be unavailable to play due to injury while first baseman Ben Rice was bumped to a starting position after an injury to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy
