Wednesday’s spotlight belonged to Clarke Schmidt, who made his season debut after starting the year on the injured list with rotator cuff tendonitis. The right-hander tossed 73 pitches over 5.2 innings, giving up three runs on four hits and striking out two.
His return gave the Yankees’ battered rotation a much-needed lift, especially with Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil still sidelined and Marcus Stroman newly added to the injury report. Entering the day, New York’s rotation held the third-worst ERA in the majors. To activate Schmidt, the team optioned righty Allan Winans, who didn’t appear in a game during his stint.
Manager Aaron Boone also provided updates on four injured players: Luis Gil’s return has been delayed at least 10 more days after an MRI showed his lat strain hasn’t healed enough for him to resume throwing. Giancarlo Stanton is inching closer to facing live pitching, but there’s still no set timeline.
Clarke Schmidt,
Jonathan Loáisiga threw live batting practice for a second time this week and has two more sessions lined up before starting a rehab assignment. Meanwhile, Jake Cousins is still about two weeks away from throwing to live hitters.
In off-field news, a recent poll of 40 MLB coaches and executives ranked the Yankees’ front office as the fifth-best in baseball. General Manager Brian Cashman received high praise, with one respondent calling him “the gold standard” and another crediting the player development team for consistently producing tradeable talent.
The Yankees’ front office jumped up from 10th in last year’s poll—likely thanks to their 2024 AL pennant win—and even received one first-place vote. The Dodgers’ front office once again claimed the top spot, followed by the Rays, Brewers, and Guardians.
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