After a high-quality win opened their most recent series with the Athletics, the Yankees finished it off with tough back-to-back losses. In those two ballgames, the “Bombers” mustered just five combined hits and two runs, which included a one-hit shutout in the latter. With some of their better arms slated to start in their upcoming series against the Rays, they have to hope the bats can wake up a bit for the trip down to St. Pete.
Tampa Bay has had a so-so start to the season, and will certainly
have their hands full with the Yankees paying them a visit back at Tropicana Field.
Friday: Luis Gil vs. Steven Matz (7:10 pm ET)
A strategic move had Luis Gil start the season in triple-A, but now with a need for a full five-man rotation, he’ll make his 2026 debut on Friday in the series opener. The 2024 American League Rookie of the Year missed a good chunk of his sophomore campaign last season, and was shaky when he was on the mound. Across 11 starts and 57 innings, the righty managed an improved 3.32 ERA, but his strikeout and walk rates took troubling steps backward. He looked good in the spring, however, posting a 24:5 K:BB rate in 19.1 innings, and will look to keep that version of himself rolling in his season debut.
He’ll start against Steven Matz, who has started his 12th big league season on the right foot. I remember watching him toss a gem in the 2014 Eastern League Championship game for the Binghamton Mets, and 12 years later, he’s still making it happen on the mound, now with the Rays. In 11 innings across his first two starts, the lefty has worked efficiently, and is coming off of a one-run, eight-strikeout performance against the Twins last weekend.
Saturday: Max Fried vs. Nick Martinez (6:10 pm ET)
In the series’ second game, the Yankees will flip back to the top of the rotation, giving Max Fried another go-around. In the second season of his eight-year deal with the Yankees, the lefty has been terrific on the whole. His first two starts saw him shut out the Giants and Mariners, keeping the scoreboard blank and allowing just five total hits. He is coming off his first forgettable start of the season, when he walked three and allowed as many earned runs in a start against the Marlins. He’ll look to get back on track against Florida’s other team.
Fried will square off against journeyman Nick Martinez. He has put together a solid run of respectable pitching over the last half-decade, and has done a nice job thus far for the Rays. The 35-year-old has completed six innings in each of his first two starts, and has allowed just three earned runs in those 12 innings. His latest was a one-run, one-hit performance against the Twins.
Sunday: Cam Schlittler vs. Shane McClanahan (1:40 pm ET)
If Cam Schlittler’s rookie campaign was encouraging, the start of his 2026 season has been downright thrilling. Similar to his rotation-mate Fried, he kept things scoreless through each of his first two starts, but is coming off of a start with three earned runs pinned on him against the A’s. The real highlight, however, has been his striking out of seven or more batters in all three starts this year, and even more so, the fact that he has not surrendered a walk yet. He’ll look to build on his sparkling 1.62 ERA and 0.54 FIP on Sunday’s series finale.
Schlittler will square off with Shane McClanahan, who himself was once considered one of baseball’s best pitching talents. The left-hander has fallen on hard times of late, as non-stop injury trouble kept him from throwing a single big league season in either the 2024 or 2025 seasons. He is back, however, which is good to see, and he’s done some good things thus far. He’s worked on a limited load, tossing less than five innings in each of his two starts this season. McClanahan has struck out nine in his 8.2 innings, but will need to improve on the seven walks he’s surrendered if he wants to return fully to form. This will be his first start against the Yankees sine August of 2023.
