Clarke Schmidt rejoins Yankees, moving into bullpen role

The New York Yankees returned right-hander Clarke Schmidt from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the injured list on Wednesday, moving him into a bullpen role for the postseason after a 14-month recovery from elbow surgery.

Schmidt underwent an internal brace procedure on his ulnar collateral ligament on July 11, 2025, and began his minor league rehab assignment on Aug. 29. The 2017 first-round draft pick had been used exclusively as a starter since 2023, but with Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole in the rotation, Schmidt will transition to relief.

"It's been a long journey, a lot of work that goes into this. A lot of long days, early mornings," Schmidt said before the game against the Minnesota Twins. "I've just been itching to come back."

To make room on the 40-man roster for Schmidt, the Yankees designated multi-position player Oswaldo Cabrera for assignment. Cabrera missed most of the 2025 season with a severe ankle injury. "I'm blessed to have a lot of guys on this team that you just admire and respect and love doing the job with on a daily basis," manager Aaron Boone said. "Oswaldo's right there at the top of that list."