Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt continued his journey back to the major leagues with a solid performance in his second rehab start on Wednesday. Schmidt, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, is working to reestablish himself as a valuable asset for the Yankees' bullpen.
During this outing, Schmidt faced some early challenges. After securing the first two outs in the first inning, he allowed consecutive hits, culminating in a double that brought the game's first run across home plate. However, Schmidt demonstrated resilience by getting Alex Binelas to fly out, successfully stranding a runner on second base.
Following the initial hiccup, Schmidt settled into a groove. In his second inning, he struck out two batters in a quick 1-2-3 frame, showcasing his ability to bounce back and maintain control on the mound. Overall, Schmidt threw 23 pitches, with an impressive 20 of those being strikes. He concluded the night with one run allowed on two hits, no walks, and three strikeouts over two innings.
This performance marks a significant improvement compared to his first rehab start on August 29, when he pitched for Double-A Somerset. In that outing, Schmidt struggled, needing just 20 pitches to record only two outs while allowing two runs on two hits and striking out two batters.
As Schmidt progresses, it remains uncertain whether this will be his final rehab appearance. The 30-year-old pitcher expressed confidence following his first outing, indicating he felt good and was optimistic about being stretched out enough to contribute out of the bullpen upon his activation.
The Yankees find themselves in a challenging position with the recent injury to Fernando Cruz, prompting the team to explore options for their bullpen. Schmidt is among a group of former starters, including Luis Gil, who was activated earlier this week, as the Yankees look to piece together a reliable relief corps for the remainder of the season.
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