Cam Schlittler continues being a ray of light for the New York Yankees.

The rookie starter threw another gem on Monday in a 10-5 win over the Washington Nationals, giving the Yankees reason for optimism amid an up-and-down 2025 season.

Schlittler pitched six shutout innings against the Nationals, striking out eight batters and allowing four hits on 96 pitches (63 strikes).

The No. 3 prospect in the Yankees farm system entering 2025, Schlittler made his MLB debut on July 9. After posting a 4.91 earned run average (ERA) in three July starts, Schlittler has been much better in August.

Following Monday's win, Schlittler has a 1.65 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 27.2 innings this month. He's only allowed one earned run and seven hits over his last three starts (17.2 innings).

Schlittler, who ranks in the 95th percentile in MLB average fastball velocity (h/t Baseball Savant), didn't waste time showing off his impressive heat. The 2022 seventh-rounder struck out Nationals lead-off hitter James Wood with a 101 mph four-seam fastball in the top of the first.

Arguably, no team has had more dizzying highs and frustrating lows than the Yankees this season. At one point, New York led the AL East by seven games, and it was 42-25 after a mid-June sweep of the Kansas City Royals. 

In 64 games since, the Yankees are 29-35. Entering Monday, they were 5.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays (77-55) for first in the division.

Schlittler's emergence has been a breath of fresh air in a season that has gone from promising to frustrating. The Yankees have struggled at finding a fifth starter, and prized free-agent signing Max Fried has had a rough couple of months since the beginning of July, posting a 5.95 ERA over his last nine starts.

New York still has a long way to go to re-legitimizing itself as an AL contender, but Schlittler has been a step in the right direction.