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Try it freeTORONTO — As if the Yankees did not have enough problems on their hands, Clarke Schmidt exited his start Thursday after just three innings and 55 pitches.
The announcement that followed was even more ominous — right forearm tightness — and now the fate of the right-hander’s season rests on the results of an MRI exam Friday.
There was no obvious sign of discomfort while Schmidt was pitching during the Yankees’ 8-5 loss to the Blue Jays, giving Toronto the sweep and moving the Bombers into second place in the AL East.
But as the Yankees rallied to tie the game at three in the top of the fourth, Clayton Beeter began to warm up in the bullpen and then entered to pitch the bottom of the frame.
Clarke Schmidt pitches during the second inning of the Yankees-Blue Jays game at Rogers Centre on July 3, 2025. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Schmidt, who has dealt with various injuries throughout his career (including Tommy John surgery in 2017), had experienced a slower recovery between starts recently, which led the Yankees to give him an extra day of rest before his last start on Saturday.
But the right-hander, pitching on normal rest this time around, only made it through the third inning Thursday before leaving the game at Rogers Centre.
“Hopefully, I did the right move and pulled [myself] out early enough,” said Schmidt, who always is confident but did not sound overly optimistic. “Anytime you’re getting an MRI on your forearm or whatever the body part is, you’re not feeling happy about it. So I’m praying everything’s going to be clean and minor, but we’ll see what happens.”
