Could This Top Prospect Be the Answer for the Yankees Pitching Problems?
While it seems like the hits keep coming for the New York Yankees, the team experienced another major loss to the pitching staff this weekend. On Saturday, it was announced that right-handed pitcher Clarke Schmidt is likely to undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of the season. Schmidt came out of his start against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 3rd after only three innings with right forearm tightness, and was placed on the 15-day injured list the following day. This season, Schmidt had a 3.32 ERA in 14 starts and served as a solid middle-of-the-rotation piece for the Yankees.
Schmidt’s injury is just another major pitching injury for the Yankees, who already lost their ace Gerrit Cole to Tommy John surgery during Spring Training. While the team believes that Luis Gil will be able to return from his lat injury sometime in the second half of the season, and Ryan Yarbrough will be able to return sometime in August, the Yankees are undoubtedly in a rotation crisis at the moment. While Will Warren and Marcus Stroman have taken over spots in the rotation, their overall performances have been less than impressive recently. In this upcoming series against the Seattle Mariners, the Yankees are planning to call up their 10th overall prospect, Cam Schlittler. In 15 games this season between Double-A and Triple-A, Schlittler had a 2.82 ERA. While Schlittler currently has a 3.80 ERA in Triple-A, most of the damage came last week. In his most recent start against the Philadelphia Phillies Triple-A affiliate, he allowed six runs in two and a third innings pitched.
Despite Schlittler’s recent struggles, he could be a welcoming addition to the rotation. With 99 strikeouts on the year, he brings a high strikeout rate to the table, which can be very exciting if his stuff works out. Depending on Schlittler’s success, the Yankees could also opt to bring up Allan Winans to make another start. However, the team is banking on players stepping up to help win games, especially after the rough start for Carlos Rodón against the New York Mets yesterday.
