The New York Yankees can feel encouraged about starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt’s progression following his latest rehab start with the Scranton Railriders in Triple-A, and the hope is that he will be able to return within the next week and contribute to a laboring Yankees’ starting rotation.
Clarke Schmidt was sharp in his latest rehab outing
Schmidt pitched in his second rehab start (the first with Scranton) on Tuesday and looked sharp, tossing three innings of one-run ball on three hits and striking out five. Four of those five strikeouts came on his curveball, indicating that he is able to locate his wipeout pitch well, a great sign for the Yankees that he will return to the rotation fully healthy.
Schmidt was pitching well for New York before suffering a last strain in late May. In 11 starts this season, Schmidt is 5-3 with a 2.52 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 60.2 innings pitched. Their rotation has struggled in his absence, as they have pitched to a 4.72 ERA, and a 4.50 FIP, and have allowed 1.43 HR/9 since Schmidt made his last start on May 26.
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The Yankees desperately need Schmidt back in the rotation
In addition to the group’s struggles, they’re currently missing promising rookie starter Luis Gil with a lower back injury, and Will Warren has struggled mightily in his short big-league tenure. Getting Schmidt back will be massive insurance for a Yankees team that holds a one-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East division entering Thursday.
Prior to Wednesday’s game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone noted that Schmidt will likely make at least one more rehab start to get him fully stretched out for the final month of the season (h/t The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner). Depending on how that goes, the right-hander could be back in the rotation at the beginning of September.
The Yankees’ next two series’ are a three-game home stand against the St. Louis Cardinals followed by a three-game road series against the defending champion Texas Rangers. Looking further ahead, perhaps Schmidt could be re-inserted into the rotation before their series against the Chicago Cubs next weekend.
