Schmidt tossed five perfect innings against Pittsburgh in a Grapefruit League game Thursday, striking out seven batters.
Schmidt needed just 50 pitches to complete five frames in the exhibition contest, throwing 36 strikes while not allowing any baserunners. He mixed in four different pitches -- including his recently developed cutter -- as he furthered his case to be part of the Yankees' rotation this season. Schmidt is expected to be in the rotation for at least the start of the campaign while Carlos Rodon (forearm) works his way back, and the 27-year-old Schmidt could stick as a starter permanently if he gets off to a strong start.
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Yankees' Clarke Schmidt: Likely to break camp in rotation
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Schmidt is likely to open the season in the Yankees' rotation following the injury to Carlos Rodon (forearm), Erik Boland of Newsday reports.
The Yanks had already lost Frankie Montas to shoulder surgery and now will be without Rodon for at least most of April due to a forearm strain. It means an elevated role for Schmidt and also cements Domingo German as a member of the rotation, if he hadn't already been. Deivi Garcia is also a candidate to potentially see some starts. Schmidt was excellent last season while being used almost exclusively as a reliever, holding a 3.12 ERA and 56:23 K:BB over 57.2 innings. He has plenty of starting experience in the minors, of course, and has been stretched out this spring. The Yankees might also seek pitching help from outside the organization as their depth is tested.
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Yankees' Clarke Schmidt: Opens spring in dominant fashion
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Schmidt tossed two perfect innings against Atlanta in a Grapefruit League game Sunday, racking up five strikeouts.
Schmidt is vying to be the Yankees' fifth starter to begin the regular season, and he made a resounding statement toward that goal in his first spring appearance. The right-hander threw 20 of 31 pitches for strikes and mowed down five of the six batters he faced. It's always wise to take spring training performances with a grain of salt, but Schmidt's outing bears more than typical significance because he heavily tested out the new cutter that he developed during the offseason. Per Statcast, Schmidt threw the pitch 11 times Sunday after not deploying it at all last year. If the early results (and his health) hold up, Schmidt could finally live up to the potential the Yankees saw when they used a first-round draft pick on him in 2017.
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Yankees' Clarke Schmidt: Adding cutter to arsenal
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Schmidt developed a cutter during the offseason, and he hopes the pitch will help him be more effective against lefty hitters, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
The directive to develop the new pitch came from the organization and was predicated on the belief that the cutter could come easily to Schmidt given the natural cut and high spin rate on his four-seam fastball. Per Joyce, metrics on the pitch have looked good when Schmidt has thrown it during bullpens, and the right-hander said he already feels comfortable deploying it. If the cutter proves to make Schmidt more effective against left-handed batters, it could help him win the fifth-starter spot in the rotation to begin the campaign, as he's currently competing with Domingo German for the role that is up for grabs due to Frankie Montas' impending right shoulder surgery.
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Yankees' Clarke Schmidt: Could see early starts
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Schmidt is a candidate to spend the first month of the season as the Yankees' fifth starter, with Frankie Montas out until at least May due to shoulder inflammation, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
The Yankees have yet to announce their plans and could still bring in another arm from outside the organization, but unless that happens, the competition would appear to be between Schmidt and Domingo German. Schmidt outpitched German in terms of ERA (3.12 vs. 3.61) and FIP (3.59 vs. 4.43) last season, though all but three of the former's appearances came as a reliever. German, by contrast, started 14 games while appearing just once in relief.
Schmidt (foot) made two appearances during the Yankees' four-game series with the Red Sox over the weekend, covering two innings while allowing four earned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out one.
After he was removed from his Sept. 18 relief appearance in Milwaukee due to a foot injury, Schmidt received a few days off before the Yankees made him available out of the bullpen. The right-hander was hit hard in his return to action Thursday, as he allowed four of the seven batters he faced to reach base to squander a 3-0 lead. The Yankees eventually came back to win Thursday's contest, and Schmidt rebounded in another high-leverage opportunity Saturday, retiring the side en route to notching his third hold of the season. He should remain an integral part of the Yankees bullpen during what's left of the campaign.
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Yankees' Clarke Schmidt: Exits Sunday's matchup
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Schmidt was removed from Sunday's game against the Brewers in the bottom of the eighth inning due to an apparent foot/ankle injury, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
Schmidt allowed two runs on three hits and no walks while striking out four in 2.1 relief innings Sunday, and he was hit by a comebacker with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning. He immediately exited the game but was able to walk off the field under his own power. It's not yet clear whether he'll require a trip to the injured list.
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Yankees' Clarke Schmidt: Works out of bullpen
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Schmidt struck out two and scattered two hits and one walk over three scoreless innings in relief Thursday in the Yankees' 4-3 loss to the Twins.
After making a pair of starts, Schmidt moved back to the bullpen Thursday with Nestor Cortes (groin) making his return from the 15-day injured list. However, because Cortes wasn't fully stretched out following his stint on the IL, Schmidt ended up piggybacking him in what essentially ended up being a tandem start. Cortes shouldn't face any major limitations the next time his turn in the rotation comes up, so Schmidt will likely serve as a more traditional multi-inning reliever for the foreseeable future.
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Yankees' Clarke Schmidt: Allows two runs in loss
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Schmidt (5-4) took the loss Saturday against the Rays, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out two and walking none over 4.1 innings.
Despite allowing no walks and four hits, Schmidt picked up the loss thanks to a Yandy Diaz two-run single in the third inning that would turn out to be the winning runs for the Rays. This was Schmidt's third appearance this season as a starter, although he may be called upon to start more games with Nestor Cortes on the IL. Schmidt seems to have a short leash for the Yankees as a starter, which limits his fantasy upside.
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Yankees' Clarke Schmidt: Remains in rotation
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Schmidt will pick up his next start Saturday against the Rays at Tropicana Field.
He'll be making his second straight turn through the rotation as a replacement for Nestor Cortes (groin). While making his second start of the season for the Yankees in his last trip to the mound Aug. 28 in Oakland, Schmidt struck out seven over 4.1 innings, but he took the loss after surrendering four earned runs on eight hits and one walk.
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Yankees' Clarke Schmidt: Takes loss Sunday
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Schmidt (5-3) took the loss Sunday versus the Athletics. He allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in 4.1 innings.
Schmidt surrendered a pair of runs in each of the first and third innings, and the Yankees' offense couldn't cover the damage. This was Schmidt's second start of the year and his first June 16. It was also the right-hander's longest major-league outing of the season. Through 37.1 innings with the Yankees, he's posted a 2.89 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 36:19 K:BB in 18 appearances, mainly as a long reliever. He's made all eight of his minor-league appearances this year as a starter, and he may get another turn in the rotation with Nestor Cortes (groin) on the injured list. If that happens, Schmidt is tentatively projected for a road start versus the Rays next weekend.
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Yankees' Clarke Schmidt: Entering rotation
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Schmidt will enter the Yankees' rotation and start Sunday against the Athletics, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.
Nestor Cortes was placed on the injured list Thursday due to a groin injury, opening a spot in the rotation. With Luis Severino (lat) also still out, the Yankees will need to shift to depth to fill their rotation in the short term. Schmidt was recalled to the majors Monday and threw three scoreless innings in relief to earn the win Tuesday against the Mets. Prior to his promotion, Schmidt had worked as many as six innings in the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre rotation, so he may not be on a strict pitch count.
Schmidt (5-2) earned the win over the Mets on Tuesday, allowing three hits and issuing three walks over three scoreless innings. He did not strike out any batters.
Schmidt entered the contest in the top of the sixth inning and retired Mark Canha with a runner on second base to keep the game tied. He allowed three baserunners over the following two frames but kept the Mets off the scoreboard, and he appeared poised to finish off the contest after retiring the first two batters he faced in the ninth. Schmidt then allowed the next three hitters to reach base and was replaced by Wandy Peralta, who got the final out for a save. The outing was in line with how Schmidt has been deployed this season -- he's made only one start but has thrown three or more innings in five of 17 appearances and has tossed more than one frame in 11 different outings. Schmidt has been effective during his time in the majors this season, registering a 2.18 ERA and 1.24 WHIP while picking up five wins and two saves over 33 innings.
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Yankees' Clarke Schmidt: Called up by Yanks
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Schmidt was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.
Schmidt was sent down to Triple-A earlier this month but will rejoin the major-league club following a three-week stint in the minors. Although the right-hander has operated exclusively as a starter at the Triple-A level this year, he'll likely serve as a multi-inning relief option once again in the big leagues after Scott Effross (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday.
