The Yankees aren’t downplaying the significance of Clarke Schmidt’s return.
Schmidt emerged as one of the Yankees’ top pitchers during a breakout 2024 season, recording a 2.85 ERA and earning the start in Game 3 of the World Series.
Now, Schmidt is more important than ever to a Yankees rotation that’s been ravaged by injuries.
“We’re counting on Clarke. We expect a lot from Clarke now,” manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday, a day before Schmidt was set to make his season debut in Wednesday’s game against the Kansas City Royals.
“Hopefully guys like Clarke are continuing to improve, too. We have a lot of confidence in what he brings and how good of a pitcher he is and has become.”
Schmidt, 29, missed the first three weeks of the regular season as he worked his way back from the right rotator cuff tendonitis that cropped up during spring training.
He now slides into the rotation spot vacated by Marcus Stroman, who went 0-1 with a 11.57 ERA in three starts before landing on the 15-day injured list with left knee inflammation over the weekend.
“I know how much he puts into it,” shortstop Anthony Volpe said of Schmidt on the eve of the right-hander’s debut.
“It’s a huge boost for the team, but just being so close to him, and all the work he put in [during] the offseason, into his body, into his mindset, everything like that, it’s huge. He listened to himself, but I think he’s ready to take off.”
Schmidt was one of three Yankees starters to begin the year on the injured list, along with ace Gerrit Cole, who underwent season-ending elbow surgery last month, and Luis Gil, who is expected to be out until at least June with a high-grade lat strain.
That rash of injuries led to rotation spots for 38-year-old veteran Carlos Carrasco (2-1, 5.94 ERA) and rookie Will Warren (1-0, 5.14 ERA).
The Yankees’ rotation entered Wednesday with a 4.98 ERA, which ranked 28th among MLB starting staffs, and had totaled 85 innings, which ranked 25th.
“It’s obviously frustrating,” Schmidt said on Saturday of his absence. “I want to be out there competing with my guys and this is something that I don’t want to happen. Being able to go out there and compete every five days is something that I hold close to my heart, and I want to make sure that I’m able to do that.”
Schmidt totaled 7.1 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts over two rehab starts with Double-A Somerset, including a four-inning, 61-pitch performance last Thursday in his final minor-league tuneup.
On Saturday, Schmidt said he felt “good” and ready to rejoin the rotation. On Tuesday, Boone said the right-hander was “in a good place right now” with his buildup.
“He’s been a guy who’s fun to watch,” Aaron Judge said of Schmidt, a former first-round pick.
“I’ve seen him grow, just from his feel for his pitches to how he attacks guys. I think the biggest thing I saw was a lot of walks, a lot of inconsistency pitching, but now the control’s there. He’s always had the nasty stuff. I think he’s learned a lot [from] being around Gerrit Cole. He learned how to navigate a lineup.”
