Yankees' Clarke Schmidt says he feels 'really good' after bullpen session

DUNEDIN, Fla. — The Yankees seem to be in the clear regarding Clarke Schmidt.

With this caveat: For now.

The righthander, who on Sunday was scratched from Monday afternoon’s scheduled start against the Blue Jays because of shoulder fatigue but threw a 24-pitch bullpen session at Steinbrenner Field in the morning, said he felt “great” afterward.

“Felt really good today,” Schmidt reiterated.

Red flags abounded when manager Aaron Boone announced on Sunday that Schmidt would not be making his scheduled start because of issues with his recovery, specifically with his throwing shoulder.

Boone said Schmidt was feeling “a little sore in recovering” from his previous start last Tuesday, a 38-pitch outing against the Orioles.

That Schmidt still would be throwing a bullpen session gave cause for hope. But given what has happened with the Yankees’ already questionable starting pitching depth during spring training — losing Gerrit Cole for the season because of Tommy John surgery and Luis Gil for at least three months because of a high-grade lat strain — the fact that Schmidt mentioned anything having to do with his shoulder, fatigue or otherwise, had much of the organization holding its breath.

Schmidt said after his bullpen session that it was more of a “fatigue” issue.

“Was bouncing back a little bit slower this week, and just being a little more cautious with the time of year and, obviously, losing a couple of guys in the rotation, you don’t want to make a small thing a big thing,” Schmidt said. “So just being smart.”

Before the Yankees’ 6-5 exhibition loss to the Blue Jays on Monday, Boone said the intent is for Schmidt — initially brought along at a slightly slower pace than the rest of the starters because of a back issue — to make his second spring training start this Wednesday or Thursday.

The Yankees’ plan from the start of spring training was for Schmidt to make his regular-season debut in the club’s sixth game, April 3 against the Diamondbacks at the Stadium.

“Obviously, things are very fluid and they change day by day, but for me, the goal of making that start hasn’t changed,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt, who missed more than three months last season with a right lat strain, said he did not feel soreness in the shoulder area during the bullpen session.

“No sharpness or anything like that,” he said.

Schmidt theorized that the recovery issue resulted from the Yankees’ long postseason run and subsequently starting his offseason throwing program a bit later than he had in past years.

“I shut down throwing longer than I should have,” Schmidt said. “But it’s kind of like, you don’t really know until you go through it. It’s kind of trial and error.

“For me, I felt like I shut down a little bit too long, and I’ve been playing catch-up and been kind behind the eight ball a little bit. But feeling good now.”

That’s why he was cleared to throw the bullpen session.

“I wouldn’t be throwing if there was a concern of something major,” Schmidt said. “Last year I had the injury and I threw through that for a few weeks and I ended up [taking] what could have potentially been a smaller thing and I made it a big issue, missing a [few] months.

“Obviously, we’re trying to avoid that. You learn from that mistake you had last year but . . . I wouldn’t be throwing right now if we felt like, or I felt like, I was putting myself at a high risk.”

Boone didn’t dispute feeling at least a bit nervous.

“I think we felt good about it, but any time you’re scratching a player from a game, there’s still that trepidation,” he said. “Especially considering what we’ve been through so far with some guys this spring. So hopefully we’re OK.”