Clarke Schmidt injury update: Yankees starter to undergo Tommy John surgery in serious blow to rotation
Schmidt will miss most if not all of the 2026 season
New York Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair the torn UCL in his pitching elbow on Friday, manager Aaron Boone told reporters prior to Thursday's game against the Seattle Mariners. He'll miss the remainder of the 2025 season and most and perhaps all of the 2026 season, as well. Schmidt previously underwent Tommy John surgery prior to being drafted by the Yankees in 2017.
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.
