Clarke Schmidt dominates in rehab start as Yankees rotation desperately awaits help

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The Yankees’ rotation may be running on fumes, but Clarke Schmidt isn’t just refueling—he’s rocketing forward.

Pitching in his first rehab assignment since a spring shoulder issue, Clarke Schmidt took the mound for Double-A Somerset on Saturday and delivered the kind of performance that made fans forget, at least briefly, the chaos unfolding in the Bronx.

Three innings. One hit. One walk. Seven strikeouts.

It wasn’t just dominance—it was statement-making.

A rehab start that looked like midseason form

Clarke Schmidt’s start wasn’t a cautious return. It was a full-throttle display of stuff and command. Of the 46 pitches he threw, 32 were strikes. He racked up 11 whiffs, mixing in a sharp sweeper and a sinker that hit 96 mph in the first inning. From the first pitch, he looked like a pitcher in control of his mechanics and fully aware of what he wanted to do.

Greg Johnson described the outing as “electric,” singling out the sweeper in particular as giving Hartford hitters little chance to settle in.

For a stadium used to watching up-and-comers learn on the fly, Saturday’s crowd saw the opposite: a major leaguer moving with precision, confidence, and the kind of poise that can’t be taught in the minors.

March had left more questions than answers about Schmidt’s status. Shoulder discomfort is never minor for a pitcher, and in a spring riddled with rotation injuries, his absence was just one more headache for a Yankees staff already stretched thin.

But Saturday in Somerset, there were no red flags. No visible limits. No tentative pitch selection. Schmidt used his full arsenal and executed it like someone who hadn’t missed a step.

Even with the low pitch count, he set a tone: this isn’t just a pitcher testing his arm. This is someone preparing to rejoin a big-league rotation.

Not just a rehab start

Most rehab outings are about process—checking the boxes, building stamina, feeling out command. Clarke Schmidt, however, looked beyond the checklist. His tempo was crisp. His sequencing was deliberate. He wasn’t trying to find his footing; he was setting the pace.

The way he moved through the Hartford lineup had less to do with Double-A competition and more to do with his own rhythm and feel. It was clinical, clean, and quietly dominant. For a Yankees team desperately looking for stability on the mound, it may have been the most encouraging three innings of the season—regardless of where they happened.

The plan calls for Clarke Schmidt to make at least one more rehab start, likely with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Yankees will want to stretch out his pitch count and ensure his shoulder bounces back without issue.

But based on what was seen in Somerset, the real question may not be whether Schmidt is ready—but whether the Yankees can afford to wait much longer.

With Gerrit Cole out for the year and Luis Gil still rehabbing, the rotation has been patched together week by week. Schmidt’s return won’t fix everything—but after what he showed Saturday, it could bring something the Yankees haven’t had in weeks: a dependable, confident, big-league arm ready to go.

And for one day in Somerset, Clarke Schmidt made sure the Yankees—and anyone paying attention—remembered what he’s capable of.

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