Yankees' Clarke Schmidt Will 'Likely' Need Tommy John Surgery on Injury, Boone Says

The New York Yankees' worst fears have been realized with Clarke Schmidt facing the possibility of undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Saturday that Clarke will "likely" need to go under the knife to repair his injury.

YES Network's Jack Curry noted Clarke previously had Tommy John surgery, previously having it in 2017 prior to being drafted by the Yankees.

The Yankees placed Schmidt on the 15-day injured list prior to Friday's game against the New York Mets due to forearm tightness. He allowed three runs in three innings against the Toronto Blue Jays one day earlier.

Schmidt explained in the IL announcement that he had been dealing with forearm issues since his June 4 start against the Cleveland Guardians that was making it difficult for his arm to bounce back between starts.

“Anytime you’re getting an MRI on your forearm, you’re not feeling happy about it,” Schmidt said.

Boone didn't specify what the results of the MRI were, but Tommy John surgery typically is required when a player has a torn UCL. The Yankees skipper did note Schmidt is seeking second opinions, and they will await those results within the next couple of days before making any final decisions.

Despite having Tommy John surgery in April 2017 while he was playing for South Carolina, the Yankees took Schmidt with the 16th overall pick in the MLB draft that season.

Schmidt made his MLB debut during the 2020 season and moved into the starting rotation full-time in 2023. The right-hander had his best season in 2024 with a 2.85 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 16 starts.

After a slow start this season, Schmidt was starting to turn things around. He had a 2.18 ERA in his last seven starts dating back to May 28.

The Yankees are in the midst of their worst stretch of the season so far. They enter Saturday having lost four straight and 15 of their last 21 games. They are two games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East.