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New York Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt has revealed when he expects to return from his long-term injury, and it could happen as soon as this week.
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Schmidt said he has his bags packed for the Yankees’ upcoming road trip and expects to be activated after completing his minor league rehab assignment. The right-hander made his fifth and final rehab appearance Saturday with Double-A Somerset.
Schmidt entered in the middle of an inning and retired all four batters he faced, striking out three on 21 pitches. He is now preparing to return to the Yankees, although his role will look different from what it was before his injury.
Clarke Schmidt: “I’ve got my bags packed” for Yankees upcoming road trip, expects to be activated this week.
Hopes to work himself into high leveraged scenarios out of the ‘pen.
— Pete Caldera (@pcaldera) September 13, 2026
Rather than immediately returning to the rotation, Schmidt is expected to work out of the bullpen. He hopes to eventually handle high-leverage situations while also providing multiple innings when needed.
That would give Yankees manager Aaron Boone another option as the team heads toward the postseason. New York has gotten strong work from Cam Schlittler and Will Warren in the rotation while Schmidt has been away.
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Schmidt has been working his way back for more than a year after suffering a torn UCL in his right elbow in July 2025. He underwent Tommy John surgery with an internal brace procedure and has spent the past 14 months working through his recovery.
Before the injury, Schmidt had established himself as a reliable part of the Yankees’ rotation. He has a 23-24 record with a 3.82 ERA and 384 strikeouts over 393.1 innings in his major league career.
His return comes at an important time for the Yankees. New York is 85-63 and sits four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East, while holding the top American League Wild Card position.
Getting Schmidt back gives Boone another experienced arm to work with as the Yankees push toward October.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2026 at 10:25 AM.