Hey everyone! It’s good to be back. Speaking of back, so are the Yankees, and they’ll be looking to wash away the aftertaste of yesterday’s 15-0 drubbing at the hands of the Twins. Their opponents today will be the Rays, with Cam Schlittler making his spring debut against Joe Boyle.
It’s hard to overstate the impact that Schlittler made as a rookie last year with the Bombers — and he only debuted in July! In his 14 regular season starts, Schlittler threw 73 innings of 2.96 ERA ball, with very good
peripherals to boot. However, he saved his best work for the postseason, posting eight shutout innings with 12 strikeouts over the Red Sox in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. Though his next postseason start—Game 4 of the ALDS against Toronto—didn’t go as well, he still earned the admittedly dubious distinction of being the only Yankee starter to post a quality start in that series. This will be Schlittler’s spring debut, and I’m hoping it will be the harbinger for a strong sophomore campaign for the big guy.
Schlittler will duel against Joe Boyle, whose accolades include eight Oscars, all won for his 2008 film Slumdog Millionare, though die-hards still swear by his 1996 classic Trainspotting — oh wait, wrong Boyle. The Boyle starting today is less decorated than Danny, but that doesn’t mean he’s a pushover. Selected in the 12th round of the 2020 draft by the Reds, he made his MLB debut in 2023 with the Athletics, posting a 1.69 ERA over three starts. After a rough 2024, he was shipped to the Rays as part of a package for Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez, where he split time in Triple-A, where he was an International League All-Star, and the majors, where he posted a 4.67 ERA (4.19 FIP) and 58 strikeouts over 52 innings. Armed with premium stuff, the next step for Boyle is finding the strike zone with consistency. If he does, he’ll be a thorn in the Yankees’ side for the next few years.
The top of the Yankees’ lineup tonight features their big guns, sans Aaron Judge (leading Team USA tonight against Brazil in their WBC opener). Trent Grisham is in center field leading off, followed by Ben Rice at first, Cody Bellinger in left, and Giancarlo Stanton at DH. Ryan McMahon and Paul DeJong will be at third base and second base, batting fifth and sixth. Making his spring debut will be Oswaldo Cabrera—we love you Oswaldo!—coming back after a left ankle fracture ended his 2025 season in May. Max Schuemann will hit eighth and start in right field, and Payton Henry will don the tools of ignorance in the nine spot.
How to watch
Location: George M. Steinbrenner Field — Tampa, FL
First pitch: 6:35 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES Network
Radio broadcast: WDAE (Rays broadcast on MLB.tv)
Online stream: Gotham Sports Network, Rays.TV
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