The Yankees will open the season with three of their five projected starters for 2025 on the IL, as Clarke Schmidt’s shoulder setback will leave him unable to join the team when they fly up to New York on March 27th. Brian Cashman confirms that they’ll have him hang back to throw more pitches and continue building up, as he was only built up to 32 pitches when he tossed a live bullpen session earlier in the week.
Ian Hamilton finds himself in a similar situation, as an infection caused him to miss most of Spring Training, and he won’t be built up for the start of the season either. One of the replacements will be Carlos Carrasco, who has had a strong Spring Training and is expected to join their rotation for the time being until Schmidt is ready. He has impressed many in camp with his improved sinker, but for the bullpen, the answer is less clear.
They have a bevy of depth arms who could make the team with Hamilton behind, and that’s been a strength the Yankees have been able to rely on for years.
Ian Hamilton and Clarke Schmidt To Start On IL, Yankees Depth Takes Another Hit
The Yankees have not shut down Clarke Schmidt or Ian Hamilton, as they’ll continue building up pitch counts and have trended well according to Brian Cashman. With that being said, they’re not at a point in their progression where they can properly contribute right now, as Schmidt himself admitted he would handcuff the team with where he’s at pitch count-wise.
Choosing to avoid rushing his return to the roster and causing a more severe injury, the Yankees are slow-playing things with Clarke Schmidt, who when healthy is very effective. The decision to roll with Carlos Carrasco is one that many expected, as his 1.69 ERA and 57.9% GB% have impressed many officials inside the Yankees’ organization. With the fifth starter spot still open and Will Warren on the 40-man roster, he would be the natural fit for the final rotation spot.
Ian Hamilton was delayed because of an infection, as he has only made one appearance in Spring Training which came against the Orioles two nights ago. The problem is that he has not been built up to the point where he can pitch back-to-backs and there’s no way to know if he can even handle pitching after a day of rest at the moment. With the slew of injuries the team is dealing with on the pitching side, the Yankees have opted to be cautious with these two arms.
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Names such as Geoff Hartlieb, Wilking Rodriguez, Yoendrys Gomez, and Brent Headrick are among the favorites to crack the roster with this onslaught of bullpen injuries. Jake Cousins, Clayton Beeter, Scott Effross, Tyler Matzek, and JT Brubaker are among the other pitchers who will begin the season on the IL. The most crushing blow of them all was the Gerrit Cole UCL tear, which will both end his 2024 season and cut into his 2025 season as well.
Giancarlo Stanton is still not doing baseball activities, DJ LeMahieu is still far away from returning, and Clayton Beeter is expected to be out for an extended period of time according to Cashman. The Yankees are still looking for a right-handed bat before Opening Day, although the timeframe for that to occur has dwindled to just four days, which certainly isn’t ideal for a team that is not positioned to hit LHP well at the moment.