How the run-it-back Yankees have gotten off to one of MLB's hottest starts, despite painfully quiet offseason

The Yankees are off to a 5-1 start, even as Aaron Judge has been practically nonexistent

Mike Axisa

Apr 2, 2026

12:00 pm ET

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10 min read

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Things could not be going much better for the New York Yankees six games into the new season. They're 5-1 and have allowed six runs total, including zero home runs. Every other team has allowed at least 12 runs and two homers, and 25 of the other 29 teams have allowed at least 20 runs. Only the 2002 San Francisco Giants and 1915 Philadelphia Phillies gave up fewer runs through their first six games; they both allowed five.

"I think this team as a whole, we're just feeding off each other and rolling with it," righty Cam Schlittler said following Wednesday afternoon's win over the Seattle Mariners (NYY 5, SEA 3). "To take the series here is a good feeling, and we'll go home confident to play on Friday."

The Yankees have started 5-1 despite not yet playing a home game and despite two-time reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge not doing much of anything. Judge is 3 for 24 (.125) with two homers, one walk, and 11 strikeouts. The Yankees have also gotten basically nothing from the bottom of the lineup. Their 7-8-9 lineup spots have combined for a .339 OPS, the lowest in baseball. The Yankees have been carried by Cody Bellinger, Ben Rice, Giancarlo Stanton, and their pitching staff.

It's only six games, but the Yankees are off to a hot start, particularly after an offseason in which they didn't do much beyond re-sign their own players. Their most significant outside addition was lefty Ryan Weathers, who allowed one run in 4 ⅓ innings in his Yankees debut Monday. Otherwise, the Yankees brought back starting outfielders Bellinger and Trent Grisham, plus some role players (Paul Goldschmidt, Amed Rosario, etc.). That's really it.

The run-it-back approach made for a boring offseason and some fan angst. OK, a lot of fan angst. The Athletic polled more than 11,000 fans before the season and Yankees fans ranked 22nd in optimism heading into 2026. The Yankees were behind the Athletics, Miami Marlins, and Pittsburgh Pirates, among others.

> More than 11,000 fans participated in our fifth annual MLB Hope-O-Meter.

Overall, 72 percent reported they are optimistic about their favorite team this season, compared to 66 percent in 2025.

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— The Athletic (@theathletic.com) March 30, 2026 at 10:41 AM

That's insane, right? That ranking reflects fatigue with manager Aaron Boone and GM Brian Cashman more than it does an objective look at the talent on the roster and the organization as a whole. The Yankees had the American League's best run differential last season (by 54 runs) and won 94 games, only losing the AL East to the Toronto Blue Jays thanks to a tiebreaker. Fans are down because the Yankees haven't won the World Series since 2009, not because they're not a very good team.

The 2026 Yankees look like the 2025 Yankees plus Weathers, and that is not a bad thing. They're returning almost all of a very good team and have some pieces on the way who will raise their ceiling. Here are four reasons to believe the 2026 Yankees will be better than the 2025 Yankees despite all the familiar faces.

1. A full season of Schlittler

The single biggest reason to believe the 2026 Yankees will be better than the 2025 Yankees is the guy they had on the mound Wednesday. Schlittler, who thoroughly dominated the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of last year's Wild Card Series, held the Mariners to two hits in 6 ⅓ innings. He struck out seven and threw only 79 pitches while on a pitch limit after a minor back issue delayed his start to spring training. Figure Schlittler will throw 90-ish pitches next start, then 100-ish the start after that.

Two starts into his season, Schlittler has thrown 11 ⅔ scoreless innings and allowed only three baserunners. He opened the year as New York's No. 2 starter behind Max Fried. He opened last year in Double-A. Schlittler's meteoric rise last season took him from Double-A on Opening Day to Triple-A in June to the Bronx in July. He made 14 starts for the Yankees as a rookie, pitching to a 2.96 ERA with solid under-the-hood numbers (3.74 FIP, 4.11 xERA, etc.), and also starred in the postseason.

This season, Schlittler is in the rotation to begin the year and he's positioned to give the Yankees 25-plus starts, depending on how they manage his workload. He's armed with a new cutter, one that has outlier movement given its mid-90s velocity, ...

> Seasonal data for all fastballs, sinkers, and cutters that averaged at least 93mph, going back to 2020 (lefties are included, with h-break mirrored to keep the chart clear). Cam Schlittler’s new cutter stands out, averaging just under 95mph with 6 inches of cut and 9.5 inches of ride.

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— Lucas (@dbitlefty.bsky.social) March 27, 2026 at 12:41 PM

... as well as upper-90s