The New York Yankees lost 8-4 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday at Chase Field. The game featured a blown 4-1 lead, a grand slam from Nolan Arenado, and another difficult afternoon for a bullpen that has been stretched thin down the stretch.
But a quieter moment during the game raised a different kind of concern. Clarke Schmidt was getting loose in the bullpen during the middle innings when he felt something in his right bicep. He never entered the game.
Schmidt had made his season debut just five days earlier after returning from Tommy John surgery. This was set to be appearance number two. Instead, it became an injury scare for a pitcher the Yankees are counting on for October.
Schmidt Addresses the Bicep Issue
Schmidt spoke with reporters after the game and was direct about what happened.
“Nothing structural. It was more precautionary, obviously, given the circumstance coming back from a surgery,” Schmidt said. “I don’t want to push through anything. But all the testing was fine. Nothing with the shoulder, nothing with the elbow.”
“It was more just like a cramping type feeling,” Schmidt said. “Very localized to the bicep area.”
The Yankees pitcher said the cramping surfaced deeper into his warmup routine. He had felt fine during catch play earlier in the day and in the days leading up to Sunday’s game.
“I had nothing in catch play earlier today, and in the previous days I’ve been feeling very strong,” Schmidt said. “So just very, very minor. Just precautionary.”
No MRI or additional imaging is currently scheduled. Schmidt plans to check in with the team doctor once the club is back in the Bronx.
The Tommy John Context
Schmidt was asked whether he would have flagged the issue at all if he were not coming back from major surgery. His answer was honest.
“That definitely goes into it,” Schmidt said. “Coming back from a surgery, you obviously, towards the end of the year, you want to be smart, especially with playoffs coming around the corner. So it’s all precautionary stuff. Nothing where I was like, I can’t perform with this.”
Schmidt threw his first big league pitches of the season for the Yankees on Wednesday against the Twins and looked sharp. The plan was to build him up gradually and have him available as a bullpen weapon for the postseason.
Any setback, even a minor one, puts that timeline under a microscope. Schmidt understands the stakes. His decision to speak up rather than pitch through discomfort reflects the kind of awareness the situation demands.
Final Word for the Yankees
Clarke Schmidt did the right thing on Sunday. He felt something, he flagged it, and he sat down.
The next few days will determine whether Sunday was a blip or a setback. Schmidt believes it is the former. The Yankees need him to be right.
Yankees Face New Pitching Concern After Diamondbacks Loss