Yankees' Clarke Schmidt hopes to return to rotation by end of August

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was unable to add to his struggling rotation before the July 30 trade deadline, falling short of acquiring, among others, Detroit’s Jack Flaherty, who went to the Dodgers.

But by month’s end the group still might get a significant upgrade.

Clarke Schmidt, a rotation standout the first two months of the season before going on the injured list May 30 with a right lat strain, threw a live batting practice before a rainstorm washed out Tuesday night’s game against the Angels at the Stadium. He said afterward he could be ready to rejoin the unit before the calendar flips to September.

“That’s within the realm (of possibility),” Schmidt said after the 20-pitch session.

Aaron Boone, who typically avoids providing timetables for his injured players, in this case was on board.

“For his buildup, that should be realistic,” Boone said.

Schmidt, after a mostly successful 2023 – his first full season as a starter in the big leagues – was off to a terrific start this season, going 5-3 with a 2.52 ERA in 11 starts.

The 28-year-old, whose supreme confidence in himself has been a source of clubhouse humor for years – all in positive ways – was as big a reason as anyone for the rotation’s overall excellence the first two-plus months of the season.

“When Clarke went down, he was throwing the ball (as well as) a lot of the better guys in the league,” Boone said. “He’s been that good for us. We’ve seen Clarke get better and better every year. I think the product we were seeing the first couple months this year was even another step for him. We feel like we’re getting a really impactful pitcher back once he is able to come back. As far as the role, we’ll see, but we’re mapping out to build him up as a starter, but if we have to adjust, we will.”

Schmidt’s buildup has some ways to go, but some of that buildup, as was the case with Gerrit Cole, could take place in the majors. Cole, who started the season on the IL with right elbow inflammation, returned June 19 against the Orioles and threw just 62 pitches that night. He upped that total to 72 in his next outing and threw 90 pitches in each of his next two outings before surpassing 100 pitches in what was his fifth start, July 12 against the Red Sox.

Schmidt, slated to throw another live BP Saturday and then perhaps will be sent out on a rehab assignment after that, said on Tuesday he hopes to be built up similarly. Meaning at the major league level.

“I think everything’s on the table, honestly,” Boone said. “One of the questions now will be, how many lives (live BPs) do we go with him? Do we build him up through the lives and get him to a higher threshold when we start his rehab or do we build him through the rehab process? That’ll be something that really the medical guys and the pitching guys work through over the next couple of weeks.”

Though Schmidt said he would be open to pitching out of the bullpen, his work last season as a starter coupled with the dominance he showed at various points this season before getting hurt, make that an unlikely call by the Yankees.

But first things first. Schmidt still has some hurdles in front of him, though all signs continue trending upward.

“Really good. Pleasantly surprised with the command,” Schmidt said of Tuesday’s outing. “Physically, I felt great today. Today was a very big step.”

Wednesday’s rotation

Boone said Luis Gil, initially scheduled to start Tuesday night, would start the first game of Wednesday’s straight doubleheader, which starts at 4:05 p.m., followed by righty prospect Will Warren, who will serve as the club’s “27th man” for the day. The latter made his big-league debut July 30 in Philadelphia and was decent over his 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs – three of those coming on an Austin Hays homer in the second – four hits and two walks. The 25-year-old, who shrugged off the homer, struck out six. “Felt like after he got punched in the mouth like that (the Hays homer), he clamped down and got even better,” Boone said. “Finished the night really strong and set us up for a win.”