The New York Yankees will get Clarke Schmidt back from Tommy John surgery soon. Yankees manager Aaron Boone told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch that Schmidt will do one more rehab outing before being activated from the 60-day injured list.
That next outing will likely be with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Yankees have been very meticulous with Schmidt’s rehab appearances, with multiple days off between each one. His next one will come on two days’ rest.
Schmidt had been a reliable arm at the bottom of the Yankees’ rotation. However, injuries have affected the last two seasons. The 30-year-old suffered a torn UCL in July 2025 and underwent Tommy John surgery. His return will mark 14 months since the injury.
Yankees Announce Latest Clarke Schmidt Injury Update
Given the current timeline, Clarke Schmidt won’t be activated during the Mets series. Instead, he’ll be back during their road trip against the Minnesota Twins and Arizona Diamondbacks. Most likely, he’ll be activated on September 14, ahead of the Twins series opener.
Schmidt will likely return as a multiple-inning reliever. The Yankees can get a look at that for the final two weeks before deciding if they should roster him for the postseason. The decision could very much depend on their status for the Wild Card round.
Since Schmidt was on the 60-day injured list on September 1, the Yankees will have to petition the commissioner’s office for postseason eligibility. He would have to replace an injured player who has spent the requisite number of days on the injured list. One such example is Giancarlo Stanton.
His long-term future with the Yankees may be in relief, for both this year and next. Since his injury, right-handers Cam Schlittler and Will Warren have emerged as reliable arms in the rotation. But that’s a decision for Brian Cashman to make in November.
New York Yankees Right Now
The New York Yankees enter their series against the New York Mets with an 84-62 record. Their chances of qualifying for the postseason are just about 100%, according to FanGraphs’ Playoff Odds.
With the club sitting just three games back of the Tampa Bay Rays, the division is still in play. Especially when there are still four head-to-head games remaining.
The Yankees will likely need to sweep that series to win the division, however. Their odds of winning the division are less than 20%. But the Yankees have a chance now that Aaron Judge is back from injury.
Whoever wins the American League East will get home-field advantage through the World Series.
New York Yankees Announce Latest Clarke Schmidt Injury Update Before Mets Series