The New York Yankees are tied for first place in the American League East but have had the worst starting pitcher ERA in baseball since June 15. New York got some good news on the pitching front, however, when Clarke Schmidt took another step toward his return to the rotation.
Schmidt, who has not pitched since May 26, threw live batting practice at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday before rain washed away the Yankees' game against the Los Angeles Angels. The game will be made up Wednesday in a single-admission doubleheader.
Schmidt threw 20 pitches, according to ESPN's Jorge Castillo, and told him that while he doesn't know his exact timetable, he thinks he will return by the end of the month.
The Yankees righty struck out backup catcher Carlos Narvaez and rehabbing infielder Jon Berti during his outing, according to video captured by NJ Advance Media's Max Goodman.
Schimdt said after his outing that he feels “amazing,” and that he is building back up as a starter, though he's also open to coming out of the bullpen when he returns.
“I want to be able to start games in September and start playoff games. That’s where I can help this team the most,” he said, per Goodman.
Schmidt will throw another batting practice session on Saturday, according to YES Network reporter Meredith Marokovits.
“Felt great… pleasantly surprised by command,” Schmidt told Marokovits. “Today was a very big step… I’m feeling good physically.”
Clarke Schmidt can play a pivotal role in the Yankees playoff hunt
If Clarke Schmidt can return to the Yankees in August, he can add much-needed depth to their rotation. The Yankees had the best starting staff in baseball, by ERA, from Opening Day through June 15. After that, however, players like Carlos Rodon and Marcus Stroman came back down to Earth, Schmidt has not been available, and Nestor Cortes and Gerrit Cole have both battled inconsistency.
In 11 starts this season, Schmidt is 5-3 with a 2.52 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 60.2 innings. Opponents are only hitting .224 against him and he has given up less than one home run per nine innings.
If the Yankees stay healthy through Schmidt's return, manager Aaron Boone will have some options. He can use Schmidt in a starting role as a way to give Luis Gil an extra day of rest each turn through the rotation. Gil has been phenomenal for the Yankees (11-5, 3.20 ERA), but had never exceeded 96 innings in a season in his professional career. He's at 112.2 as of August 6.
Schmidt can also lengthen the Yankees' bullpen. The team brought in much-needed reinforcements at the trade deadline by adding Mark Leiter Jr.and Enyel De Los Santos. Both are high strikeout guys, which the bullpen desperately needed. Schmidt has experience as a high-leverage reliever, finishing seven games for the Yankees and coming out of the bullpen 26 times in 2022. As the back-end of the bullpen continues to take shape, Schmidt can help form the late-inning bridge to Clay Holmes.
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