Yankees Star Pitcher Thrives in Potential Last Rehab Start Before Rejoining Team

An injured New York Yankees pitcher on rehab assignment had an excellent outing in Double-A.

Mar 11, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt (36) throws a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Injuries have decimated the New York Yankees' pitching staff, and it is hanging on by a thread just over two weeks into the season.

Max Fried has been everything the team had hoped he would be, taking over as the ace of the starting rotation with Gerrit Cole lost for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery during spring training.

Across his first three starts in pinstripes, he has a 1.56 ERA over 17.1 innings with 21 strikeouts. The next closest ERA amongst starters is 5.19 by Carlos Rodon.

Fried has a 0.1 WAR to start the campaign, while Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Carlos Carrasco and Will Warren have combined for -0.8 WAR, offering very little out of the gate.

Thankfully for the Yankees, they should be getting some reinforcements on the mound soon.

One of the pitchers who began the year on the injured list, Clarke Schmidt, looks very close to being able to make his return to the Major League roster and debut during the 2025 season.

Dealing with right rotatar cuff tendinitis that led to a slow ramp-up during spring training, he has been stretching things out in the minor leagues on rehab assignments.

On Thursday night, pitching for Double-A Somerset, Clarke had a dominant outing.

He threw four scoreless innings, recording four strikeouts and no walks while allowing four hits. He pounded the strike zone, throwing 45 of his 61 pitches for strikes.

"For me, it's just about getting back in that game feel and the competitive spirit," Schmidt said after the game, via Brent Maguire of MLB.com. "[I tried] pitching a little differently in different counts, mixing and matching and getting creative out there."

He certainly looks ready to return to New York with the Big League club, as he has thrown 7.1 innings at Double-A without surrendering a run and striking out 11.

Right now, the plan seems to be for Clarke to join the team during their series against the Kansas City Royals, making a start on either April 15 or 16.

Right now, the probables for those days are Fried and Stroman.

Clarke isn’t going to supplant the team’s current ace, so it could be last year’s big free-agent signing who is removed from the rotation, at least this time around.

Looking to retain as much depth as possible, Stroman could just have his start pushed back one day to Apr. 17 and take the mound in place of Warren.

As the only player with options remaining, he could be the odd man out. If the Yankees attempted to outright Carrasco to the minor leagues, he could decline it and become a free agent, losing more of the little depth the team already possesses.

Whatever the Yankees choose to do with the rotation, getting Clarke back will be a welcomed addition.