It's not a huge deal if you're a Yankee fan... unless you're obsessed with Clarke Schmidt. If that's the case, you're devastated and I'm sorry. Schmidt has been shut down. It's his elbow... and it's barking.
Check this story out... from Sportsnaut:
"The New York Yankees are shutting down right-hander Clarke Schmidt due to an elbow injury.The former first-round draft pick will be sidelined for three to four weeks after an MRI revealed a strain of the common extensor tendon, manager Aaron Boone said Monday."
Look, the bottom line is this... it's good we see this now, and with some time to recover, hopefully he'll be back on the bump soon. Elbows suck and so hopefully this guy recovers fine.
Get well soon, Clarke.
I was really the Yankees would be able to option Schmidt to AAA & that he'd have a solid opportunity to get some innings under his belt and face some live batters on a regular basis and as a starting pitcher. He still has that opportunity but unfortunately we're looking at yet another Yankees injury.
ReplyDeleteDue to the layoff last year I imagine returning back to form is going to be especially challenging for minor league pitchers who really didn't get enough innings last year. In fact I would guess major league pitchers nay also face significant challenges returning to a full season. This is going to be a crazy year from an injury perspective and I wouldn't be surprised if pitchers in general, and not just Yankee hurlers, begin dropping like flies as the season begins to ramp up.
If German wins the 5th slot in the rotation, I kind of hope Garcia gets some innings under his belt in the minors because I have a feeling the Yankees will need a couple guys stretched out for inevitable injuries -- specifically in the rotation. He's been a starting pitcher all his life and it doesn't make a lot of sense to put him in the bullpen especially when he's so young and he really needs seasoning. I know there are concerns about his height and his overall physicality but until he clearly shows he can't start the Yankees should keep developing him in this capacity.
The Yankees really have plenty of bullpen arms & with Loasiga & Cessa, NY has a couple of bonafide swingmen already. The Yankees really didn't need Schmidt with the big league team and they actually don't need Garcia either -- unless they are more comfortable using Garcia as the fifth starter based on his spring training performance and they want to designate German for a bullpen role & try to keep him stretched out as insurance.
No doubt when Severino comes back the Yankees will probably start him off in the bullpen like they did last time when he got injured. Then he will work his way into the rotation at some point as the season is winding down.
No doubt we are all hoping that all these question marks wind up working out but there's a good chance some of them won't. At least the Yankees have some solid depth in the pitching department.
Here's one bold prediction I have. Which Yankee pitcher will have a breakout year? Kluber & Taillon are experienced veterans who have already put up tremendous seasons so they're really not breakout candidates. The Yankees have a lot of established pieces, even Montgomery has already had his breakout season. So I'm going to go with my sleeper here - Nick Nelson.
I think Nelson will have a monster good season. By the end of the year he will be a vital part of the Yankees bullpen. in fact I think of injuries decimate the Yankees there's a chance he might wind up starting some games also. I feel like a lot of people are sleeping on him. I'm very intrigued to see what he can do this year.