Yankees Clarke Schmidt moves closer to return as Max Fried IL stint nears end

The last time Clarke Schmidt was on the Yankee Stadium mound before Tuesday, he cut his live session short because of forearm cramping.Three weeks later, he got through an 18-pitch live session feeling good, with a rehab assignment up next if he recovers well in the coming days.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.

At a time when the Yankees have taken some hits in their pitching department with injuries to Max Fried and Ryan Weathers, Schmidt’s potential return — albeit in a bullpen role — from Tommy John surgery looms large if he can make it to the finish line without any setbacks.“I think he could really help us,” manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday.“Obviously he’s been a really good starter in this league.

He’s not going to get back to that this year, but to get him, when he’s on his game, he’s got a lot of weapons that could really land him a role down there, whether it’s an inning, a couple innings, whatever it may be.”There will be a delicate balance ahead for Schmidt, whose rehab assignment will likely be more about shortening the period between his outings than building up his pitch count.He is coming off major elbow surgery, so there will still be guardrails in how the Yankees use him.

But he is also coming back to a playoff race, so there will not be much margin for error as he tries to settle back in on the fly.“There’s a little bit of training wheels at first, but I’m coming in in big situations right here, in a pennant race, so I understand that,” Schmidt said.“I kind of embrace that pressure of, ‘Hey, there’s expectation.

I know you’re coming off of surgery, but we got to get outs here.’ I’m trying to get outs, trying to compete and be competitive and be a guy they can rely on.“You see it’s working for Gerrit [Cole], and he puts his pants on just like I do.”Pitching coach Matt Blake indicated that a...