By admin 
It looks like the New York Yankees bullpen is getting some aid in the form of a former starter. After whiffing on adding relief help at the trade deadline, Brian Cashman has gone in a different direction by adding multiple starters to the pen, and now, with Clarke Schmidt finishing up his rehab stint, it looks like he’ll join the relief core as well. Schmidt, who has not seen a big-league mound since July 3rd, doesn’t have much left to prove on a minor-league mound and looks healthy enough to be a part of the big club again.
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Ahead of Sunday’s series finale against the New York Mets, manager Aaron Boone told reporters that Schmidt will be activated during the upcoming road trip. Boone said it could happen when the Yankees arrive in Minnesota, per ESPN’s Jorge Castillo.
Schmidt looked dominant in his most recent appearance for the Double-A Somerset Patriots on Saturday. He relieved starter Cade Smith, going 1.1 IP, striking out three batters. He also did not allow a hit, a walk, or a run.
Clarke Schmidt faced four batters in his fifth outing of @MLB rehab. He struck out THREE of them!
1.1 IP | 0 H | 0 R | 0 BB | 3 K pic.twitter.com/LdXT8KdDNi
– Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) September 13, 2026
So far, Schmidt has had five rehab appearances. Across 11.1 IP, he has allowed three earned runs, a walk, and a homer, while recording 11 strikeouts.
According to manager Aaron Boone, he’s been impressed by what Schmidt has done so far.
“I’ve been pleased,” Boone said, according to NJ.com’s Randy Miller. “I felt like his last live BP that I saw here, I was like,” Ooh, OK, that’s Clarke coming out well.’ And then I feel like he’s throwing the ball well in his games, too, so he’s in a good spot. He feels good, looks good. He’s got some dirt in the cleats now in some game settings, so that’s good. Hopefully play a role for us.”
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The new-look Yankee bullpen with Schmidt
Schmidt will be joining a pen that has had some new additions despite Cashman essentially striking out on adding arms at the deadline. John Schreiber might be the biggest boost to the pen. In 5.2 innings, he has allowed just one hit. He has held hitters to a .059 average, and hasn’t allowed a run, struck out three, and walked two.
Fulmer has also proven to be a solid addition. He has pitched in seven games with the Yankees. He has allowed two earned runs in six innings. He has struck out seven, walked three, and has held opposing batters to a .217 average. Much like the incoming Schmidt addition, he can give multiple innings of relief if need be, as a former starter.
When they activate Schmidt, the corresponding move could be to send Bradley Hanner back to the minors since he has three options left. Hanner has allowed a run in each of his outings for the Yankees and melted down against the Mets this weekend. This is the most straightforward way to get Schmidt back to the big leagues.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/yankees/onsi as Yankees’ Bullpen Is About to Get a Major Facelift With Clarke Schmidt’s Return.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2026 at 4:00 PM.