Yankees 2026 Season Preview: Clarke Schmidt

Come Opening Day, the Yankees’ starting rotation will be far from full strength. Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole will both be on the injured list to begin the 2026 campaign, but the Bombers will also be without Clarke Schmidt for a significant stretch to begin the year. The right-hander is recovering from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent during last July with the newer internal brace procedure.

Whether Schmidt will even be among the top five starters when he is able to return remains to be seen, but nonetheless, the Yankees will be without another valuable arm for much of the campaign. He has missed ample time over the last two seasons, but his performance during that stretch has been the best of his career, so the Yankees would welcome a full return from their 30-year-old starter.

2025 Stats: 14 starts, 78.2 IP, 4-4, 3.32 ERA (123 ERA+), 3.95 FIP, 4.44 xFIP, 23.1% K%, 9.5% BB%, 1.03 HR/9, 1.09 WHIP, 1.3 fWAR

2026 FanGraphs Depth Charts Projections: 3 starts, 32.0 IP, 2-2, 3.99 ERA, 4.05 FIP, 23.1% K%, 8.0% BB%, 1.17 HR/9, 1.25 WHIP, 0.3 fWAR

Schmidt debuted for the Yankees back in 2020, and after forgettable cups of coffee in that season and in 2021, the right-hander got his first real look at action the following year. The 2022 season saw him pitch in 29 games, only three of which were starts, but it was a solid body of work — a 3.12 ERA in 57.2 innings. A year later, he was a full-fledged member of that starting rotation, making 32 starts, doing so as an average back half guy, managing a 4.42 FIP in his 159 innings of work.

More recently, Schmidt is coming off of some of his best work, albeit limited due to the elbow injury. In 85.1 innings, the now 30-year-old managed a 2.85 ERA in 2024, the lowest figure or his career. His strikeout rates increased to over 25 percent, and he kept the walks at bay. When on the mound, Schmidt had shown himself to be a fairly dependable, and at times good, Major League starter. Of course, the primary issue was his ability to only stay healthy for 16 starts, though he was active as a member of the playoff rotation en route to the 2024 Fall Classic.

The good times continued in 2025, as Schmidt was nearly as good in 78.1 innings of work last season, although the peripheral numbers were slightly worse. If nothing else, the continuation of that impressive stretch likely convinced the Yankees that he could be a dependable arm every fifth day. But, once again, the injury trouble resurfaced with his aforementioned Tommy John internal brace procedure — the second TJ of his career, following a pre-draft operation in early 2017. He was sidelined in July, and likely won’t be back until the later months of the 2026 campaign.

As far as his ability is concerned, the Yankees should feel fine about Schmidt. He has posted three consecutive seasons of fine-to-very-good pitching, and has even shown flashes of excellent work on the mound. Expectations should be managed, considering the limited sample size and the significant injury, but it is fair to assume that he is a solid big-league pitcher.

The right-hander’s health, however, is the primary concern. Despite the impressive numbers, Schmidt has also posted consecutive seasons in which he basically pitched half of a full-time starter’s role. Between shoulder trouble and the elbow procedure, his health is far from a certainty. The Yankees will be without him for at least the first half of the season, and their first question will certainly be of whether he can stay on the mound for an extended period. Returning from a second Tommy John surgery only adds another hurdle. Schmidt will be familiar with the rehab grind, but one never truly knows how their elbow takes to the procedure until the possible return to game action gets closer and the intensity rises. Although we can be optimistic, the first year back—especially a partial year like this one will be—can be bumpy. A setback or two could potentially nix his 2026 as well. Will Schmidt be healthy enough for a starter’s workload by late summer?

They say you can never have enough pitching, and they say it for good reason. When Schmidt does eventually return, it will be welcomed by a Yankees staff that has several hurlers returning from significant injury. Baseball being baseball, others will likely be on the shelf by then, too. Until then, the Yankees will have to wait on Schmidt’s recovery. The latest updates say that Schmidt could be throwing bullpen sessions soon, and perhaps facing hitters in the coming month or two. Get well soon, pal.

See more of the Yankees Previews series here.