The Yankees could receive a vital pitching reinforcement soon.
Sidelined to begin the year with right rotator cuff tendinitis, Clarke Schmidt made his second rehab start for Double-A Somerset on April 10, tossing four scoreless innings with four strikeouts, no walks and four hits allowed. He threw 61 pitches, 45 of them being strikes.
"For me, it's just about getting back in that game feel and the competitive spirit," Schmidt said following his outing. "[I tried] pitching a little differently in different counts, mixing and matching and getting creative out there."
Schmidt was one of the three projected Yankees starters who were befelled by injury before the regular season started. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery in mid-March, while reigning AL Rookie of the Year winner Luis Gil is sidelined with a right lat strain. Schmidt later joined them on the injured list when he felt his shoulder bark and was scratched from his March 16 Grapefruit League start.
This was Clarke¡¯s second rehab start with the Patriots after he struck out seven over 3 1/3 scoreless innings on 52 pitches for Somerset on April 5. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on April 5 that they envisioned before this being Schmidt¡¯s last start rejoining the big league rotation on April 15 or 16 vs. Kansas City. Schmidt reiterated after his second start that the hope was to return this upcoming week.
Schmidt had a 2.85 ERA with 93 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings for the Yankees last season. The right-hander missed 3 1/2 months in 2024 due to a right lat strain before returning in early September and making three starts in the playoffs, including Game 3 of the World Series.
With Max Fried, Carlos Rod¨®n and Marcus Stroman likely penciled into the rotation for the Yanks, Schmidt¡¯s return will force a decision involving Carlos Carrasco and Will Warren, the latter of whom has Minor League options remaining.