Fresh off of his first live batting session since hitting the injured list with a right lat strain, Clarke Schmidt said that he’s already thinking about the stretch run.
“One-hundred percent, for sure,” the Yankees’ righty said Tuesday of envisioning himself pitching in important games once he returns. “If it was one of those things where I was like, ‘Ok, I know it’s going to be the bullpen,’ then I would probably say, ‘Let’s speed this up a little bit more and just kind of count the starting stuff out.’
“But I want to be able to start games in September. I want to start playoff games.”
With that said, Schmidt didn’t rule out bullpen work. The Yankees currently have a full and healthy rotation, though that can always change in the blink of an eye.
However, Schmidt believes he’s most valuable as a starter.
“That’s probably where I can help this team the most,” the uber-confident 28-year-old said. “Now, obviously, if they come to me and they say, ‘Hey, we need you in the bullpen’ for whatever reason, I’m here to help the team. I’m not going to say no to anything.”
Aaron Boone, speaking after the Yankees’ game against the Angels was postponed due to inclement weather, didn’t commit to a role for Schmidt upon his return. However, the manager said that Schmidt is building up as a starter.
On Tuesday, that process saw Schmidt throw 20 pitches off the mound at Yankee Stadium. Happy with his command, he said he felt “amazing” afterward.
“Today was a very big step,” said Schmidt, who has been on the IL since June 18.
Added Boone: “He’s felt really good the whole way. I thought he was sharp today.”
The next step is for Schmidt to throw another live BP session on Saturday. Boone said weather will determine if that happens in Tampa or the Bronx.
From there, Schmidt will throw a third live BP or start a rehab assignment. He’ll do whichever allows him to build up his pitch count the fastest.
Schmidt said that he could be back by the end of August “in a perfect world.” Boone called that timeline “realistic.”
Schmidt had hoped to return sooner, especially after being told that he was ahead of expectations for each step of his recovery.
“And it still takes this long,” he lamented. “So if you’re a starting pitcher and you have a muscle injury in the season, it’s kind of brutal. So definitely lesson learned. I mean, obviously you never want to get hurt. You always want to try to avoid it, but you definitely gotta be on top of your stuff if you want to try to not miss a chunk of time if you have a muscle injury.”
There’s a chance that Schmidt will finish his build up at the major league level, as Boone said “everything’s on the table.” Schmidt mentioned Gerrit Cole’s build-up plan as a possible course of action to follow.
Following elbow inflammation, Cole made three rehab starts and reached 68 pitches in the last one. The ace then threw 62 pitches in his first major league start and 72 in his second. Cole has thrown at least 90 in six starts since.
Whatever his role or build-up look like, Schmidt expects himself to make an difference for the Yankees’ pitching staff.
He did that before the injury, recording a 2.52 ERA over 11 starts. That leads the team’s rotation.
“He was throwing ball with a lot of the better guys in the league,” Boone said. “He’s been that good for us. We’ve seen Clarke get better and better every year. I think the product we were seeing the first couple of months this year was even another step for him. So we feel like we’re getting a really impactful pitcher back once he is able to come back.”
PITCHING PLANS
With Tuesday’s game postponed, the Yankees and Angels will play a traditional, single-admission double-header on Wednesday. That will begin at 4:05 p.m.
Boone said that Luis Gil, Tuesday’s scheduled starter, will pitch the first game of the doubleheader. Will Warren will be called up as the Yankees’ 27th man so that he can start the second game.
Warren made his MLB debut on July 30 when Cole was scratched with fatigue. The 25-year-old righty allowed four earned runs over 5.1 innings against the Phillies.
Boone wasn’t sure of the Yankees’ pitching plans after Wednesday. He didn’t rule out skipping a member of the rotation. Nestor Cortes was originally scheduled to pitch on Wednesday.
INJURY UPDATES
Schmidt wasn’t the only Yankee to participate in live batting practice before the rain began to fall on Tuesday.
Cody Poteet (triceps) also threw. Meanwhile, shelved hitters Anthony Rizzo (broken arm), Jon Berti (calf) and Jose Trevino (quad) were among those who took at-bats against the pitchers.
Boone said that Rizzo also hit “full bore” off the team’s high-tech Trajekt pitching machine the other day, but there’s still no timetable on the first baseman.
Berti isn’t running full speed yet but is getting close, per Boone.
The skipper said that Trevino could start a rehab assignment this coming Sunday or Tuesday.
Lastly, Ian Hamilton (lat) threw a bullpen on Tuesday. Boone believed his next one is scheduled for Friday.
