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Schmidt Eyes Return To The Bronx

April 11, 2025

Bridgewater, New Jersey – The Yankees viewed right-hander Clarke Schmidt as a vital piece that they would lean on heavily to pick up some of the slack for a starting rotation that lost their ace Gerrit Cole in the early juncture of spring training to a season-ending elbow injury. His

Bridgewater, New Jersey – The Yankees viewed right-hander Clarke Schmidt as a vital piece that they would lean on heavily to pick up some of the slack for a starting rotation that lost their ace Gerrit Cole in the early juncture of spring training to a season-ending elbow injury. His contributions may have been delayed by a few weeks due to his own injury woes, but Schmidt appears poised to rejoin the Bombers rotation next week and fulfill those expectations after tossing four shutout innings for Somerset on Thursday night at TD Bank Ballpark.

"I don't want to put a target date on it, but we feel really good with where we're at - we're very close,” said Schmidt. “The expectation or the hope is [to return] this upcoming week."

Despite near-freezing and windy conditions, Schmidt allowed just three hits and struck out four batters while tossing a season-high 61 pitches (45 strikes) against Reading. Schmidt made his first start for Somerset on the road last Saturday in Hartford when he fanned seven Yard Goats over 3.1 scoreless frames against the Colorado Rockies affiliate.

“Felt good,” admitted Schmidt. “It was good to get out there, very cold, but it was good to get out and get in a competitive atmosphere. Just getting out there and competing again was a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun with the guys. Was able to get multiple ups, so was happy with that.”

Schmidt added, “For me, it’s just getting back into that game feel and getting back into the competitive spirit and pitching a little bit different in different counts and mixing, matching, and getting creative out there. I felt like we did that and were getting to our areas and executing.”

Now three weeks into the regular season, the Yankees 2017 first-round draft selection has started more games on rehab assignment for Somerset than he has in the big leagues after landing on the 15-day IL on 3/24 with right rotator cuff tendonitis.

“I was feeling really, really good last year towards the end of the season,” said Schmidt. “Being able to pitch in the playoffs and feel good and go out of that year healthy and then even in the offseason feeling good, it was very, very frustrating to have something like this pop up out of nowhere, but very thankful we’re able to put it to rest a little bit. It can be frustrating, especially when you’re not there competing with your guys and going out there and having fun with the boys.”

The University of South Carolina product was a revelation for the American League Champion Yankees in 2024 after going 5-5 with a 2.85 ERA while punching out 93 over 85 innings of work. Yankees skipper Aaron Boone has said that they expect the 29-year-old Schmidt to make his next start in the majors, either on 4/15 or 4/16, when the Kansas City Royals come to the Bronx next week.

“I want to be one of those guys that they can rely on to go out there for 32 starts every year,” Schmidt said. “I know we missed a few starts, but I want to make it up for them in the long run and be very competitive in the starts that I do have left and be able to post and help this team win games.”

Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said during spring training that Yankees major leaguers love coming to Somerset when they are in rehab situations because of the world-class facilities and the care that the team is able to provide in helping them get back to the majors. Having now rehabbed in Bridgewater in parts on three different seasons since the Patriots affiliation came to fruition in 2021, Schmidt echoed that sentiment just after exiting the game on Thursday night.

“The fans are really great here,” explained Schmidt. “A lot of Yankee fans are in this area and the facility is amazing. The weight room is amazing, the training room is amazing – it’s very similar to how it is in the big leagues. You can kind of get into a similar routine and it’s also very close to the city so you can drive an hour to get here, and it feels like you are just driving to an away game, and you can just stay in your routine. It does really feel like a big-league start. The staff and everybody here is amazing, so we’re very thankful for these guys.”

Matt Kardos | SomersetPatriots.com Senior Writer

Matt Kardos has covered the Yankees minor league system for over a decade and will spend his 13th season on the beat covering the Patriots for SomersetPatriots.com. Throughout his career, Matt has contributed to MLB.com, YES Network and Pinstriped Prospects. When he’s not at the ballpark, Matt enjoys traveling with his wife Kimberly, watching Jets football and collecting sports cards.

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