In Cam Schlittler's final appearance in the 2026 season , he struggled to go deep against the Rays. The Yankees' ace was yanked in the fifth, and while part of it was due to shoddy defense in the first inning, which kept him out there longer than he needed to be, it wasn't the workhorse production the Yankees had grown accustomed to all year.

The night wasn't bad for Schlittler, but it wasn't great either—his fault or not.

Still, Schlittler's season won't be defined by that start. If he stays healthy, he'll have other games to come up big, and if there's a reason for general optimism for the Yankees, it's this. In the 25-year-old ace's first full season in the Bronx, he pitched to a 1.95 ERA in 193.2 IP and posted a 6.2 WAR, according to FanGraphs.

When MLB Network holds its annual MVP Show, Schlittler may not take the award, but he deserves a seat at the table and has earned a spot in the final three.…