The Yankees welcome the Royals to the Bronx on Friday for the first of a three-game weekend set. 

Cam Schlittler will take the mound for the Bombers as he looks to continue what has been an ace-like start to the 2026 season. 

The flame throwing right-hander has posted a 2.49 ERA through his first four starts, but even that doesn’t quite capture how dominant he’s been during the early going. 

Schlittler has a ridiculous 0.53 fielding independent pitching heading into Friday’s outing, meaning he’s pitching much better than his ERA suggests. 

He’s walked just one batter in 21 ⅔ innings and has yet to allow a long ball. 

Schlittler is racking up the punch outs as well, striking out 37 percent of batters he’s faced, which is the third-highest rate among qualified hurlers. 

Despite not tossing more than 6 ⅓ innings in a start yet this season, Schlittler has racked up at least seven strikeouts in each of his four outings. 

The matchup on Friday couldn’t be a much better opportunity to keep this hot streak going. 

Kansas City has struggled at the plate so far this season, posting a .628 on-base plus slugging, which is the third-lowest mark in baseball heading into Thursday’s games. 

They’re hitting for virtually no power, putting up just 13 homers thus far, which is also tied for the third-fewest in the league. 


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Not a single hitter on the Royals’ roster has ever faced Schlittler. 

I’m betting their first look isn’t going to go well. 

The play: Cam Schlittler Over 6.5 strikeouts (+128, FanDuel Sportsbook)


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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.

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