The New York Yankees suffered their first rotation injury outside of Gerrit Cole, as it was announced that Clarke Schmidt would hit the 15-day IL with a right lat strain. The right-hander was in the middle of a breakout campaign, as he had fired 60.2 innings with a 2.52 ERA, striking out 67 batters in the process. His placement on the IL is retroactive to May 27th, and it’s unclear the severity of the issue at this time.
Clarke Schmidt Hits the IL, Yankees Call Up Depth Arm
After weeks of incredible health for this rotation, the Yankees get some bad news as Clarke Schmidt hits the IL with a right lat strain. Schmidt had been brilliant this season, with a 2.52 ERA and in the midst of an excellent stretch on the mound. In the month of May, Clarke Schmidt had a 1.82 ERA and 2.89 FIP, performing at an extremely high level while also pitching deeper into starts.
On May 16th the right-hander completed 8 innings in a start for the first time in his Major League career, shutting down the Twins with eight strikeouts. This has been an excellent year for Schmidt, but the Yankees will have to do without him for now as he’ll be sidelined with an issue in his lat area. The severity of this issue remains to be seen, but last year we saw Luis Severino open the season on the IL with a lat strain, where he missed nearly two months of the season before returning on May 21st.
With Gerrit Cole working his way back onto the mound, the decision as to who the Yankees would take out of their rotation has been answered in an ominous way, as it usually does. Cody Morris will be their corresponding call-up, as he can serve a multi-inning role in their bullpen and provide extra depth. Across 22.1 innings at the Triple-A level, he has a 2.82 ERA and 3.86 FIP, striking out 32.3% of batters faced.