According to Max Goodman of NJ.com, New York Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt will begin a rehab assignment on Friday and has been working up to about 50 pitches.
“I’m feeling really good, so hopefully it’s not too many,” Clarke Schmidt said when asked how many rehab starts he expects to need.
This is wonderful timing for the Yankees, as Schmidt appears to be close to returning just as Luis Gil was placed on the 15-day injured list with a back strain after departing Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians. Concerns have been raised about Luis Gil’s workload this season, as he had exceeded his career high in innings.
Schmidt’s upcoming return is welcome, since he was enjoying a strong season before injuring his right lat early on. Schmidt has a 2.52 ERA in 11 games this season, totaling 60.2 innings, according to Baseball Reference. Schmidt was injured shortly before Gerrit Cole returned to the rotation, with Cody Poteet making a few spot starts and set to make rehab starts soon as well.
Schmidt has now reached 50 pitches; ideally, he will be able to reach a normal pitch count soon.
How will the Yankees rotation look with Clarke Schmidt back?
Schmidt will likely return to the rotation soon, joining Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, and Marcus Stroman. There was some speculation that the Yankees would have Schmidt in the bullpen when he returned, at least in the postseason, but with Gil’s injury, that appears less likely. Gil would certainly benefit from a move to the bullpen, especially considering his innings concerns.
Cole is virtually guaranteed to pitch the first game of the postseason rotation because he is the staff’s ace. Carlos Rodon had a poor outing on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers, but he has been pitching well lately and is a viable candidate for the playoff rotation. The remaining two positions will most likely be filled by Schmidt, Nestor Cortes, or Marcus Stroman.
If Schmidt continues where he left off, he will almost certainly make the rotation, and the player who performs better the rest of the way between Stroman and Cortes will most likely earn the final rotation slot.
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