The Yankees are on a roll. After a 6-1 homestand in which they mopped the floor with the Orioles and decisively took two of three from the Rangers (again), the Bombers boast an AL-best 26-12 record. Now, they’ll shove off for a nine-game road trip, beginning with a three-game set against the Brewers in Milwaukee.
The last trip the Yankees took to American Family Field was highly enjoyable. In 2024 they scored 15 runs in consecutive contests, and would have wrapped up a sweep if the Crew didn’t outlast
them in an 11-inning game to open the series. Last season, of course, the Yankees swept the Brewers in the Bronx to open their regular season, setting home run records along the way. What will 2026 hold for this matchup? One thing we know for sure: Carlos Rodón is scheduled to make his season debut in the series finale.
Milwaukee is currently stuck in the middle of a five-team dogfight in the NL Central—as everyone expected. They enter action at 19-16, good for third place behind Chicago and a resurgent Cardinals team they just saw on their recent road trip. They’ve had a tendency to play above their proverbial weight class in recent years, but right now the middle of the road feels about right for their roster construction. That said, they have some excellent pitching, and some of their finest arms will take on the Yankees’ best.
Friday: Max Fried vs. Jacob Misiorowski (7:45 pm ET)
Fried didn’t have his best stuff last time out against Baltimore, but grit his teeth through 5.1 innings, allowing three runs and striking out six batters. It’s easy to forget about it now, but Fried’s first start as a Yankee came in that game where the Yankees scored 20 runs and homered nine times—and Fried didn’t pitch all that well. But of course, the Yankees scored 20 runs. Everyone sorta wrote off that start from Fried, and they were right to do so.
Misiorowski—a.k.a. The Miz—became a sensation when he was called up last June, even getting flown out to the All-Star Game to get a national audience. The tall Missourian didn’t finish the season with spectacular results, but his first full season in the Bigs is off to a strong start. He actually had a no-hitter going in his last start against the Nationals before cramping up and having to leave the game in the sixth. We’ll see how far he can go in his first career matchup with the Bombers.
Saturday: Cam Schlittler vs. Kyle Harrison (7:10 pm ET)
Schlittler keeps acing all the tests. His Monday night start was not Cam at his sharpest either, with seven hits and three walks to just four strikeouts, but he started throwing 101 mph as a lark, setting new a career mark in fastball velo. Sure. Why not. I guess you gotta keep yourself entertained some way or another. He wound up loading the bases in the sixth and departing for Jake Bird, who grabbed a key strikeout to end the inning. That kept his numbers looking pretty: a 1.52 ERA with 53 Ks and nine walks.
Who won the Rafael Devers trade? Why, the Milwaukee Brewers, of course! Kyle Harrison began on the Giants as a top prospect, packed his bags for Boston, and found himself on the move to the Wisconsin pitching factory when the Red Sox lost Alex Bregman and suddenly needed more infielders. So now the Red Sox don’t have Devers, Bregman, or Harrison. To me, that’s awesome.
Of course, six starts are six starts. But the 24-year old southpaw is looking like a keeper for Milwaukee, with a 2.12 ERA. Two starts ago, he cruised through six scoreless one-hit innings against the Pirates, while striking out 12. The Yankees have managed some success against southpaw starters this year—including MacKenzie Gore in the Texas series finale—so we’ll see if that trend continues against Harrison.
Sunday: Carlos Rodón vs. Logan Henderson (2:10 pm ET)
The first of two eagerly-awaited returns in the rotation is scheduled for the Sunday matinée, with Rodón taking the hill. Carlos’ last rehab start was eventful; he allowed a lot of hits and runs but pitched into the seventh inning, so he should be fully built up. Rodón’s start-to-start consistency was a revelation last year after he felt like a bit of a mystery box in 2024. Hopefully his first outing back will be a good tone setter against a wonky Milwaukee offense that just got some major reinforcements: Andrew Vaughn and Jackson Chourio made their returns to the lineup on Monday.
Logan Henderson is another typical homegrown Brewers pitching prospect developed from an obscure school: taken in the fourth round of the 2021 draft out of McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. (Notable former Yankee Jay Buhner went there, though!) Milwaukee’s No. 6 prospect had a solid couple games last year and just came up from the Minors to toss six quality innings against the Nationals last Sunday. Don’t expect eye-popping velocity or imposing physical stature, but his fastball has terrific arm-side run.
