Yankees replace Clarke Schmidt with two uninspiring relievers in roster shuffle

New York Yankees fans were already smarting from a four game sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays and from the knowledge that the team's mini collapse could have them fighting for a wild card spot all season long. Unfortunately, things could, in fact, get worse as Clarke Schmidt's injury just proved.

Schmidt had been among the Yankees most consistent arms in 2025 with a 3.32 ERA across 14 starts. Unfortunately, he was forced out early of New York's game against Toronto on Thursday due to tightness in his forearm.

After the game, Schmidt revealed that he has actually been dealing with unnatural soreness in his arm since the beginning of June. That revelation all but guaranteed that Schmidt would hit the injured list pending the results of his MRI. Well, Schmidt is indeed headed for the IL with relievers Scott Effross and Jayvien Sandridge getting called up to help cover the innings in his absence.

Yankees place Clarke Schmidt on the injured list with forearm tightness, recall Scott Effross and Jayvien Sandridge

Neither of the relievers are likely to move the needle much for New York as Effross is the definition of a quad-A player and Sandridge has promising swing and miss stuff, but has trouble at times finding the strike zone. This roster shuffle feels very much like New York just taking the path of least resistance to covering innings in the aftermath of Schmidt's injury.

The big news here is obviously Schmidt and the questions around his long-term health now. One hopes that his MRI shows good news and all he needs is some rest. However, Schmidt saying that the soreness has been an ongoing problem and the fact that it is bad enough to warrant a MRI probably means Yankees fans need to brace for bad news.

This wouldn't be the first time that Schmidt has had arm issues, though he has been clear for several years now. Schmidt underwent Tommy John surgery back in 2017 while he was at South Carolina, but the Yankees still loved his stuff enough to take him with their first round pick that year. The first torn UCL isn't usually that big of a deal as so many pitchers have it, but Schmidt's outlook is going to look a lot murkier if he needs surgery yet again.

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