Jun 21, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt (36) reacts to the hot weather during the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images John Jones-Imagn Images

Yankees Lose Another Pitcher to Injury

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Erin Shapland | Last updated Jul 4, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The New York Yankees' pitching situation looked rough heading into the last game of this series, and it may get even worse.

In the third inning of Thursday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt left the game with forearm tightness after allowing four hits and three runs in his 55 pitches. He will undergo an MRI tomorrow when the team is back in New York.

Clarke has dealt with forearm tightness in recent starts, but has not undergone any testing to date. This bout came on earlier in the game than usual, and Schmidt was replaced in the fourth inning with Clayton Beeter, who allowed three runs and three hits in his two innings. Beeter, who had been having a good season in the minors before being called up on Wednesday, was sent back down to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes/Barre after Thursday's game.

"We're in the thick of it right now," Schmidt said, on the state of the Yankees in a postgame interview. "In my career as a Yankee, I can think about this happening almost every single year, and it feels like around June and July where we kind of grind a little bit. We're going through it."

Schmidt has a 3.32 record this season and a 4-4 record, and has been crucial to the Yankees starting rotation with Gerritt Cole and Luis Gil still out on the Injured List. Carlos Rodón, Max Fried and Marcus Stroman have put in strong performances this season so far, with Stroman returning from injury on June 29. Will Warren took a beating from the Blue Jays on Wednesday, however, contributing to an 11-9 loss that cost the Yankees the lead in the American League East.

Schmidt recently achieved a history-making streak, with 28 1/3 scoreless innings for the longest such streak by a Yankees pitcher since 1951. The streak came to an end against the Oakland Athletics on June 28.

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