ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Yankees have spent the final stretch of summer searching for relief help without being able to manufacture certainty.
Fernando Cruz is on the injured list with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, with season-ending surgery still under consideration. Ryan Weathers remains sidelined by a flexor strain. New York added John Schreiber on waivers and has Luis Gil available again, but Aaron Boone is still sorting through how his October bullpen would look if the season ended today.
Tuesday’s 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels showed both the depth and the strain. Gerrit Cole worked 5 1/3 innings before Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn and Schreiber covered the final 3 2/3 at Angel Stadium. Cole earned the win, Grayson Rodriguez took the loss, and the Yankees improved to 79-60 while staying 4.5 games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East and four games ahead of Boston for the top American League wild-card spot.
The Yankees have David Bednar at the back end and several useful arms around him. What they do not have is a settled bridge through every high-leverage inning. That uncertainty matters more now because postseason games magnify every matchup.
Clarke Schmidt could eventually change that equation. The 30-year-old right-hander is being prepared for a relief role after spending the previous three seasons primarily as a starter.
Schmidt has not pitched for the Yankees since July 2025, when an elbow injury led to an internal-brace Tommy John procedure. There is not enough calendar left to rebuild him into a full starter.
That makes his rehab less about chasing a traditional pitch count and more about whether the Yankees can create another trustworthy October reliever.
The early signs have been good enough for New York to stay optimistic. The latest update, however, shows why optimism is not the same thing as an answer.
Schmidt clears first hurdle, but Yankees still face a wait
Schmidt made his first rehab appearance Saturday for Double-A Somerset, his first game action in more than a year.
He threw 20 pitches, 16 for strikes, while allowing two hits and two runs in two-thirds of an inning. One hit was a two-run homer. He walked none and struck out two.
Boone said Tuesday that Schmidt’s stuff and recent live work were encouraging.
“I thought he looked pretty good the other day,” Boone said. “He gave up two runs, and gave up a home run, but he looked good, and his live [bullpen session] looked really good too. I’m encouraged where Clarke’s at.”
The complication is the timeline.
Boone said Schmidt still needs “at least a couple, a few more” rehab outings before he can rejoin the Yankees. He was scheduled to make his second rehab appearance Wednesday night.
New York therefore cannot yet count on Schmidt as the bullpen reinforcement it needs.
Yankees are testing recovery more than pitch count
Schmidt’s rehab is not a normal starter build-up.
The Yankees are not trying to stretch him toward 90 pitches. Schmidt has acknowledged that reaching even 65 or 75 pitches is unrealistic this late in the season. The likely path is one or two innings at a time.
Boone said the key is how Schmidt handles the density of bullpen work, where another appearance can arrive after only one day off.
“(It’s) how you’re responding to that kind of different workload, where it’s shorter bursts, where you’re building up density,” Boone said. “It’s pitch (then) day off (then) pitch again. Those kind of things that are a little bit different, especially for a guy that’s mainly been a starter most of his life.”
Schmidt has relief experience. In 2022, he made 26 relief appearances and three starts, going 5-5 with a 3.12 ERA.
But that came before three seasons as a starter and before a second major elbow surgery. The Yankees still need proof that his rebuilt elbow can handle the role now.
Twenty-three games leave Schmidt little margin
The calendar is becoming part of the medical test.
The Yankees entered Wednesday with 23 regular-season games remaining and the schedule ending Sept. 27. Schmidt needs multiple rehab appearances before activation, then enough major league work for Boone to determine whether he can be trusted in October.
That creates two clocks. Schmidt must show he can pitch, recover quickly and pitch again without a setback. The Yankees also need enough evidence to define his role before the postseason.
A postseason reliever could be needed three times in four days. That makes the day after Schmidt pitches almost as important as the inning itself.
Schmidt understands why the Yankees cannot simply rush him back because the bullpen needs help.
“Given the timing, it’s not like I’m like ‘I should be starting’ and banging on the table,” Schmidt said. “I know it’s unrealistic to get to 65 (or) 75 pitches . . . I’m excited to compete. I just want to get back out on the mound and pitch.”
Schmidt wants the innings Yankees have not filled
Boone said last week that Schmidt has “a real chance to be a real factor for us in the ’pen.” A healthy version would give the Yankees a right-hander capable of covering more than one inning.
Schmidt believes relief could let him attack differently. A reliever can use his best weapons immediately instead of sequencing for multiple trips through a lineup.
He has also embraced the possibility of pitching when the game is tight.
Schmidt said he wants high-leverage work and believes he has the strike-throwing ability and mentality to handle pressure innings.
That is the role the Yankees still need to stabilize.
The first rehab outing delivered the good news New York wanted. Schmidt is pitching again, his stuff has encouraged Boone, and a September return remains realistic.
But with multiple rehab appearances still required and a new workload pattern to prove he can handle, the Yankees still do not have the answer they need.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
