Clarke Schmidt injury update: Yankees starter to undergo Tommy John surgery in serious blow to rotation
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
Clarke Schmidt injury update: Yankees starter to undergo Tommy John surgery in serious blow to rotation
New York Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt will undergo Tommy John surgery on Friday. He’ll miss the remainder of the 2025 season and most and perhaps all of the 2026 season, as well. Schmidt exited his start last Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays after experiencing forearm tightness. He was removed after throwing three innings, over the course of which he surrendered three runs on four hits and two walks.
Schmidt exited his start last Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays after experiencing forearm tightness. He was removed from the contest after throwing three innings, over the course of which he surrendered three runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out just one of the 15 batters he faced. All of Schmidt’s pitches had reduced velocity compared to their seasonal averages, including his four-seam fastball (down by 1.3 mph compared to his norm), per Statcast.
Schmidt, 29, entered his final start having compiled a 3.09 ERA (130 ERA+) and a 2.57 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his first 13 starts. His contributions had been worth an estimated 1.6 Wins Above Replacement, according to the estimates housed at Baseball Reference. Schmidt missed the start of the season on account of rotator cuff tendonitis that sidelined him until mid-April. Injuries have, unfortunately, been a theme throughout his career — to wit, he also missed time last season because of a lat issue.
Schmidt joins a collection of other notable Yankees starters, including ace Gerrit Cole (out for the season following his own Tommy John surgery), Luis Gil, and Ryan Yarbrough. The Yankees just recently had veteran right-hander Marcus Stroman return from his own stint on the IL.
The Yankees entered Thursday with a 51-41 record and on a four-game winning streak. They’re 2 ½ games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East.
Yankees’ Clarke Schmidt to Undergo Tommy John Surgery amid Forearm Injury
New York Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt will undergo Tommy John surgery on Friday. Schmidt has been on the 15-day injured list because of a forearm injury. Schmidt left last week’s start against the Toronto Blue Jays after just three innings. He has a 4-4 record with a 3.32 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP for the Yankees. The Yankees have been without star ace Gerrit Cole all year after he underwent Tommy John in March.
Per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced Clarke Schmidt will undergo Tommy John surgery on Friday. Schmidt has been on the 15-day injured list because of a forearm injury.
Schmidt left last week’s start against the Toronto Blue Jays after just three innings and later revealed that he’d been dealing with tightness in his right forearm since early June.
Hoch reported last week that Tommy John surgery was likely after an MRI revealed damage to Schmidt’s right ulnar collateral ligament. Boone said the team felt surgery was “inevitable.”
“He’s obviously devastated and bummed out,” Boone said. “But Clarke’s way is, you’ve got to flip the script. He’s getting his mind into, ‘Let’s get it fixed and get on with it and start to get after the rehab portion of it.’ I think mentally, that’s where he’s at.”
According to Hoch, it will be the second time Schmidt has had Tommy John surgery. He also underwent the procedure in 2017 during his junior year at South Carolina.
Schmidt, who made his MLB debut in 2020, has a 4-4 record with a 3.32 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He’s pitched the fourth-most innings for the Yankees behind Max Fried, Carlos Rodón and Will Warren.
Losing Schmidt is just another blow to the Yankees’ rotation. The team has been without star ace Gerrit Cole all year after he underwent Tommy John surgery in March. New York has also yet to see reigning Rookie of the Year Luis Gil this season because of a high-grade lat strain. Boone said last month that the team is hoping to have Gil back in late July.
Ryan Yarbrough landed on the 15-day injured list last month because of an oblique strain and has not yet returned. Marcus Stroman, who missed all of May and most of June, returned from the injured list at the end of July.
Clarke Schmidt’s Tommy John surgery date confirmed
Clarke Schmidt will undergo Tommy John surgery on July 11. Schmidt left his July 3 start early and was expected to miss the rest of the season. The Yankees have already lost Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil to Tommy John. The team has struggled mightily in July, beginning the month with a six-game losing streak that cost New York the division lead. New York is 51-41 on the season and 2.5 games behind Toronto in the AL East.
On Thursday, New York confirmed the sixth-year veteran’s season is over. Schmidt will undergo Tommy John surgery on July 11, per The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner.
The news isn’t surprising as the Yankees anticipated Schmidt would need surgery. But it’s a devastating blow to New York’s battered rotation. The team already lost Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole to Tommy John surgery during spring training and Luis Gil has yet to pitch this season as he recovers from an oblique strain. Now New York will move forward without Schmidt.
The Yankees’ banged up rotation takes another hit
The 29-year-old righty first found success with the Yankees as a reliever in 2022. But he transitioned to a starter the following year. Schmidt had a strong season in 2024, with a 2.85 ERA and 142 ERA+ but he missed significant time with a lat strain and only logged 16 starts.
In 2025, Schmidt became a valuable third starter behind Max Fried and Carlos Rodon after the Yankees lost Cole and Gil. Schmidt had a 3.32 ERA, 1.093 WHIP and 122 ERA+ in 14 starts for New York.
While Cam Schlittler was impressive in his major league debut following Schmidt’s injury, the Yankees will seek a starter at the trade deadline. The team has struggled mightily in July, beginning the month with a six-game losing streak that cost New York the division lead.
The Yankees were swept by the Blue Jays, falling to second place in the AL East. The team was able to end the skid, winning its last three games. But New York will likely need to upgrade its banged up rotation to stay in the division race.
The Yankees are 51-41 on the season and 2.5 games behind Toronto. The Blue Jays’ 10-game winning streak came to an end on Wednesday but the hot streak, which included wins in 12 of 13 games, helped propel the team past New York.