NEW YORK — The Yankees have spent most of September sorting pitchers into October lanes.
Gerrit Cole is being lined up for a Wild Card Series start. Cam Schlittler has pitched himself into the same conversation.
Max Fried is back in the rotation, while Carlos Rodón and Will Warren are being considered for relief work once the postseason begins. The choices have left little room for a late challenger to break back into the starting group.
That made Clarke Schmidt’s assignment narrow before he even rejoined the roster. His comeback from a second Tommy John surgery was never designed around rebuilding to a starter’s workload in the final two weeks.
The Yankees activated him Sept. 16 to provide length, strike throwing and a starter’s pitch mix from the bullpen. He had not appeared in the majors since July 3, 2025, and logged only seven minor league innings during his rehab.
Schmidt returned that night in Minnesota and recorded two outs, allowing two bloop singles while striking out two. It was his first big league appearance in 14 1/2 months. More important for the Yankees, it began an audition for a role that requires a different routine.
Instead of a fixed start day and a long pregame build-up, Schmidt now has to get loose quickly, enter in traffic or a clean inning, and recover on a reliever’s schedule.
The roster math was already working against any return to the rotation. MLB’s current Yankees postseason projection lists Cole, Schlittler and Fried as starters, with Schmidt, Rodon and Warren among the relief options.
Aaron Boone has confirmed Cole will start in a potential Wild Card Series. Warren is scheduled for one final regular-season start before moving to the bullpen. Schmidt’s path back to starting had become theoretical rather than practical for this October.
Biceps issue interrupts Schmidt’s only remaining audition
That distinction grew sharper Sunday in Arizona. Clarke Schmidt was warming for what would have been his second appearance since surgery when he felt cramping in his right biceps during the Yankees’ 8-4 loss to the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. He stopped throwing and never entered.
The Yankees said strength testing did not indicate a shoulder or elbow problem. Schmidt is expected to see a team doctor in New York, with no additional testing initially planned.
Schmidt explained why he refused to push through the sensation so soon after surgery. He was responding to whether the episode suggested a structural setback.
“Nothing structural, it was more precautionary,” Schmidt said. “Obviously given the circumstance, coming back from surgery, I don’t want to push through anything. All the testing was fine, nothing with the shoulder, nothing with the elbow. It was more a cramping-type feeling. I had nothing in catch play earlier today and in the previous days I’ve been feeling very strong. So just very, very minor, just precautionary.”
Boone said Schmidt could not complete his warmup despite passing the immediate checks.
“I’m hoping it’s not a big deal, but enough to have him not go into the game,” Boone said. “We’ll see what we have there.”
Tim Hill pitched the sixth instead. The Yankees had built a 4-1 lead on third-inning homers by Heliot Ramos, George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones before Arizona’s five-run fifth, capped by Nolan Arenado’s grand slam off Brent Headrick. Justin Martinez earned the win, Headrick took the loss and no save was credited.
A 67-start history runs into a crowded Yankees future
Schmidt has already shown he can start in the majors. MLB’s player records show 67 of his 97 career appearances have been starts. He owns a 3.82 ERA over 393 1/3 innings and posted a 3.32 ERA in 14 starts in 2025 before his elbow problem ended the season.
The question is whether the Yankees still have a practical starting lane for him. Public contract records show Cole and Rodon are signed through 2028 and Fried through 2032. Schlittler has emerged as a frontline starter, while Warren remains under club control. Schmidt is arbitration-eligible for 2027 and can become a free agent after that season.
Online reaction quickly shifted from Sunday to winter. Fans questioned Schmidt’s durability, his fit alongside Luis Gil and whether the Yankees can count on him for meaningful October innings.
No Yankees official has said Schmidt will never start another game for New York. But the rotation depth, his recovery timeline and the Yankees’ postseason plan have pushed him behind too many options for starting to remain his default role.
Yankees need Schmidt to prove the bullpen transition works
That is why the biceps episode matters even if the medical news stays encouraging. Schmidt is not trying to build to 90 pitches. He is trying to prove he can warm quickly, enter on demand and recover for another appearance.
The transition has already produced two awkward moments. Schmidt warmed late Saturday, but Boone chose Michael Fulmer in the ninth of a tie game. Fulmer surrendered Pavin Smith’s walk-off two-run homer. On Sunday, Schmidt was close to entering before the cramping stopped him.
The Yankees are 89-66, six games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East with seven games remaining, according to MLB standings. They have clinched a postseason berth and hold the top AL wild-card position. Their final week starts Tuesday at Yankee Stadium against the Rays.
If Schmidt is cleared, those games carry a simpler test. His immediate job is no longer to reopen a rotation door. It is to show the Yankees he can be trusted in the bullpen when October begins.
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