Before the postseason arrives, Will Warren may have to practice running in from the bullpen and not losing his breath in the process. 

But otherwise, his cameo as a reliever when he threw 2 ¹/₃ scoreless innings against the Padres on Friday offered an intriguing look at Warren’s potential impact on the Yankees once his regular-season rotation duties are complete. 

“I was a little gassed when I got out there,” he said with a chuckle. “That’s probably why I walked [the first batter] on four pitches. But no, it was good. Blacked out a little bit, so exactly where we’re supposed to be.” 

Warren is set to return to a starting role Wednesday against the Rockies, but if the Yankees rotation can get through the rest of the season healthy, he is expected to shift back into the bullpen once the playoffs begin — either in a multi-inning role or even as a high-leverage option if needed. 

“That could turn into a big role for us moving forward at any point later in the season and hopefully into October,” manager Aaron Boone said. “It was good to see him come into a situation that’s not totally familiar and perform.” 

Warren’s stuff ticked up in the shorter outing — his velocity was up about one mile per hour on all of his pitches — though he pointed out that it was also up in his last start against the Red Sox, when he threw seven innings of one-run ball, after working on some adjustments in between outings. 

After Warren got the final out of the sixth inning following the walk, Max Fried had a conversation with him in the dugout in which he told the right-hander to stay on the attack and adapt a reliever mentality. That, along with Austin Wells’ calming presence behind the plate, allowed Warren to settle in. 

“Not easy to do, to be able to be a starter all year and then get thrown into some piggybacking relieving,” Fried said. “For him to come in and settle in after the first couple hitters, it was great. He’s got unbelievable stuff. I think we’re confident anytime he takes the ball.” 

New York Yankees pitcher Will Warren pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the second inning at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, on Sunday, August 30, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Warren still has some things to figure out, like his pregame routine before potential relief outings, but he seemed up for the challenge if and when he ends up in the bullpen come October. 

“Whatever role I’m in, I’ll embrace it,” he said. “It’s kind of like [Paul] Blackburn, he’s got five, six elite pitches out there, so it’s not typically something out of the bullpen. Hopefully it would go along with that.” 

Anthony Volpe was named the International League Player of the Week on Monday after batting .524 with three home runs and a 1.711 OPS in six games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.