The Yankees intend to promote Cam Schlittler to make his major league starting debut either Tuesday or Wednesday at home against the Mariners, two sources told The Post on Saturday.
The Yankees have not made a decision public or even definitively.
But their current plan is to go with Schlitter, who between Double- and Triple-A this season had produced a 3.52 ERA in 15 games (14 starts).
The Yanks are in at least a bit of a rotation crisis.
Max Fried, Carlos Rodón and Will Warren have made all their starts this season, but the other two spots have been in flux and became more of an issue with Aaron Boone announcing before Saturday’s Subway Series game that Clarke Schmidt likely will need Tommy John surgery, a procedure that not only will knock him out this season, but potentially all of next year as well.
Marcus Stroman is back for a rotation that was never going to have Gerrit Cole this year after spring Tommy John surgery.
Allan Winans will not have been down the requisite 15 days to come back and make a spot start on Tuesday or Wednesday unless an injury strikes and he can be promoted for that reason.
The Yankees believe that Luis Gil (lat), who has yet to pitch this year but is on an injury rehab now, will be a factor to return to the rotation somewhere between the beginning of the second half and the July 31 trade deadline.
Ryan Yarbrough (oblique) is considered more of an August possibility. Acquiring a starter before the deadline has now become more of a priority.
For now, though, Schlittler appears as if he will get a shot. The 6-foot-6 righty, a seventh-round pick in 2022, impressed Yankees officials with his work and stuff in spring training.
That continued into the season as he excelled at Double-A and was promoted to Triple-A in early June.
He pitched very well in his first four starts before his worst outing of the year last Wednesday — seven runs (six earned) in 2 ¹/₃ innings against the Phillies affiliate.
“He’s been really good,’’ Boone said of the 24-year-old on Friday, after Schmidt was placed on the IL and a spot in the rotation opened.
“He’s exciting. He got some really good opportunities in spring training. We got to see him a lot … [and] he really impressed. He’s come on fast and done a good job and certainly put himself in the mix.”
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A scout that saw several of Schlittler’s most recent starts — including the last one in which he gave up six earned runs in 2 ¹/₃ innings — said the right-hander still threw OK, with better velocity and pitch mix than he displayed during the spring.
“I’m sure this isn’t perfect timing, coming off that rough one, but he looked like he’d be knocking on the door soon before that one,’’ one NL scout said. “He’s been good with every step he’s taken.”