Yankees Injury Update: Carlos Lagrange hints, latest on Clarke Schmidt, key bullpen arm

We had thought that Carlos Rodón's return would open up the pitching staff to the point where either Will Warren or Ryan Weathers could slide to the New York Yankees' bullpen and give that (trade deadline neglected unit) a boost. That is, until Max Fried's second elbow bone bruise of the year derailed those plans.

Appparently, the Yankees are not allowed to have all of their starters healthy at the same time. While that might make it seem like disaster could strike in the 'pen at any point as there's no longer a surplus of starters to bail the unit out, there could be good news on the horizon.

New York has several other injured arms who could become factors, with varying timelines of return. Some of these guys could be real floor raisers for a bullpen that's felt like it's on the brink all year.

Carlos Lagrange takes a big step that opens the door (slightly) for Yankees debut

For a while, it seemed like rather than go out and get bullpen help at the trade deadline, the Yankees' plan was to unleash Carlos Lagrange on the league in the season's second-half. Then his right shoulder capsule sprain derailed everything.

It seemed likely that the six-foot-seven phenom would be done for the year, but that's not the case. Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reported that his throwing program is going well, though it's unclear if he's been throwing only on flat ground or if he's transitioned to working off the mound.

Also, per Phillips, Matt Blake has said that there's an outside chance that Lagrange will arrive in the Bronx before the season ends. It's a long shot for sure, but we're crossing our fingers.

Clarke Schmidt is making strides towards a return to the Yankees

Phillips also reported that Clarke Schmidt threw off the mound and is progressing nicely in his return. He's scheduled for more mound work on Friday and could through live batting practice shortly after that. This could all mean that a rehab stint is coming in the near future.

Thankfully, it seems that the forearm tightness Schmidt experienced earlier in the month was nothing serious. The expectation is that he transitions to a bullpen role once he's ready to be activated. That could shorten the time he'll need to spend knocking off rust in the minor leagues and expedite his return, assuming that there are no further setbacks.

Angel Chivilli's status to return to the Yankees is uncertain

Angel Chivilli seemed to be on his way to carving out a meaningful role with the Yankees until he was pushed to the limit against the Cardinals and went down with an injury. It turns out that it's a bone spur that is plaguing the young right-hander, who is shut down from throwing for 10 days (and is most of the way through that initial stretch now, seven days deep).

Presumably the Yankees will then have him test out his arm after that rest period expires, which should be at the end of this week. From there, it's anyone's guess what the next steps will be. More options are always better, so we'll hope that there's good news on the horizon for Chivilli.

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