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Jorge CastilloApr 1, 2025, 11:13 PM ET
- ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.
NEW YORK — The Yankees‘ rotation, decimated by injuries to start the season, is slated to receive a reinforcement in two weeks.
Right-hander Clarke Schmidt, who is on the injured list with rotator cuff tendinitis, is expected to make his season debut either April 15 or 16 against the Kansas City Royals, manager Aaron Boone announced Tuesday after the Yankees’ 7-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Schmidt threw 46 pitches in a three-inning simulated game in Tampa, Florida, on Monday. Boone said the plan is for him to make two rehab starts in the minor leagues before joining the Yankees. The first outing is scheduled for this weekend for Double-A Somerset.
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A stiff back delayed the 29-year-old Schmidt’s spring training debut until March 11, when he gave up three runs on four hits over 1⅔ innings. He was scratched from his next start five days later and didn’t make another appearance in Grapefruit League play.
A first-round pick in 2017, Schmidt missed nearly three months last season with a strained right lat. But he was effective when healthy, posting a 2.85 ERA in 16 starts before making three postseason starts.
Schmidt was the third Yankees starter sidelined by injury during spring training. Gerrit Cole underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery. Luis Gil is expected to miss at least the first two months of the season with a right lat strain.
Without the injured trio, Marcus Stroman, Will Warren and Carlos Carrasco joined Max Fried and Carlos Rodon in the Yankees’ rotation to start the season.
Stroman gave up three runs on five hits over 4⅔ innings in a win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday. Warren held the Diamondbacks to two runs in Tuesday’s loss. Carlos Carrasco, a 38-year-old non-roster invite to spring training, pitched two innings out of the bullpen Saturday. He is expected to make his first start of the season Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
