The Return of a Three-Time All-Star to the 2026 Yankees Rotation Comes Down to Money

There is a reason Will Warren showed frustration last night when Trent Grisham failed to track down a blooper that landed in no-man’s land. He knows the pressure is building behind him. Its origin is not simply coming from his performance but from the calendar. Carlos Rodón’s return is getting closer, and when the three-time all-star is healthy enough to rejoin the Yankees, there will be a decision to make in the starting rotation. And right now, that decision could come down to who moves out of the top five.

The Yankees are paying Rodón $162 million over the course of his contract. That means that, assuming he is healthy, he is returning to the starting rotation. The 33-year-old is not going to be relegated to the bullpen simply because someone else has pitched better while he was injured. This is the reality of baseball, particularly when a player carries his contract and the expectations that come with it. His injury woes, along with those of other starters, were a central reason the starters went from being the strength of the club heading into 2026 to wearing down and fully collapsing in the first third of the season. Yet the performances of two of its younger arms helped keep the staff afloat until Gerrit Cole and Max Fried returned.

Yet there is an important complication: Ryan Weathers has given the Yankees a reason to think twice about simply restoring the rotation to its previous configuration. Warren represents the opposition as he opened the season well. This former eighth-round pick of the Yankees has proven he can handle a starting role after establishing himself over the past two seasons. However, his limitations remain apparent. The Tennessee native has a winning record, yet his career ERA still hovers around five. He has improved, but improvement alone may not be enough to protect his place in a crowded rotation.

The son of a 1996 Yankee champion was not necessarily expected to remain a starter once the Yankees' injured pitchers began returning. Ryan’s limited career workload and power-pitching profile made a future move to the bullpen seem logical. Instead, the left-hander has specifically changed the conversation over the past two months. The former Florida Marlin has pitched effectively enough to make himself difficult to remove from the rotation. He is second on the team with 136 strikeouts, a 1.21 WHIP, and a batting average against of .241, all behind only staff ace Cam Schlittler. His ERA is a full run better than Warren's, and his recent performance has given the Yankees something they desperately need: a left-handed starter who is producing.

The frustrating part for Weathers is that he has not always received much run support. With better offensive backing, his win total could look considerably different. Yet wins are not the most important statistic here. What matters is that the 2017 U-18 Baseball World Cup champion southpaw has continued to deliver quality innings for the Yankees and has raised his level, forcing the organization to make a difficult decision. That puts Warren in a precarious position.

Rodón's return should not cost Weathers his starting job simply because the veteran is coming back. The Yankees are not going to pay that much money and not get the most for their investment. If the Yankees believe he has earned a rotation spot, the more logical casualty is Warren. That would mean sending the 27-year-old to the bullpen. It would be a significant development for a pitcher who began the season looking to solidify himself as a member of the starting five. However, the Yankees may view the bullpen not as a demotion, but as the best way to keep his arm contributing while preserving a rotation that has become increasingly difficult to break into.

The bigger question is whether the Yankees will make the decision based on performance or contract hierarchy. Rodón's contract guarantees him an opportunity to reclaim his spot when healthy. It does not automatically answer the question of who should be standing beside him. Weathers has earned the right to be part of that conversation. This is why Carlos's return could have a much bigger impact on Warren than it does on the younger left-hander himself. Rodón is simply returning to the rotation. The question remaining is who between these two young arms will join the relief corps.