MLB
In the upcoming weeks, the New York Yankees may be able to activate two important arms off the injured list.
During his Sunday appearance on MLB Network Radio, general manager Brian Cashman shared some encouraging news about two veteran pitchers who have been sidelined for a while.
As Chris Kirschner of The Athletic shared with X, Cashman reports that right-handed bullpen pitcher Lou Trivino will start a rehab assignment this week, and right-handed starter Clarke Schmidt should be able to make his first rehab appearance around August 22.
If all goes well on Schmidt’s rehab assignment, Cashman estimated that the 28-year-old hurler could potentially rejoin the Yankees by the second week of September. Cashman believes this timeframe would be the latest and that it’s possible Schmidt could return sooner.
Schmidt would add a major boost to the Yankee rotation considering he was one of their best starting pitchers before landing on the IL on May 27 with a right lat strain.
Schmidt went 5-3 with a 2.52 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP and 67 strikeouts across 60.2 innings (11 starts) prior to going down with his lat injury.
The Yankees selected Schmidt in the first-round of the 2017 MLB Draft, but he underwent Tommy John surgery that year, mixed with Covid causing the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season, which both played major factors in slowing his development.
Schmidt logged his first full-season in the big-leagues in 2023 and went 9-9 with a 4.64 ERA in 159 innings (32 starts). He looked to have taken a significant step this year before hitting the IL in late-May.
As for Trivino, he is more of a question mark given he has missed so much time after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May of 2023. The righty was throwing bullpen sessions in the spring, but suffered a setback this past May, which has further delayed his return.
It’s unknown how long Trivino will require on his rehab assignment, but he could potentially be an option in the Yankee bullpen down the stretch.
