Yankees' Clarke Schmidt Likely Needing Tommy John Surgery

The New York Yankees have suffered a significant blow to their pitching rotation as right-hander Clarke Schmidt is likely to undergo Tommy John surgery after tearing his UCL, according to manager Aaron Boone. Schmidt, who has already had Tommy John surgery once before in 2017, exited his recent start with forearm soreness and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2025 season and potentially all of 2026 due to the typical 13-15 month recovery timeline. Boone described Schmidt as one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball, highlighting his 3.32 ERA over 14 starts this year, including a seven-inning hitless performance against the Orioles. This injury compounds earlier setbacks for the Yankees, who lost Luis Gil to a lat strain and Gerrit Cole to Tommy John surgery during spring training. The Yankees rotation, already searching for options, now faces further challenges as Schmidt seeks a second opinion but is expected to have surgery. This development could impact the team's strategy ahead of the trade deadline.