Inside The Pinstripes

‘Shocked’ by Demotion, Clarke Schmidt Shouldn’t Be Gone Long

With options remaining and rosters shrinking, the Yankees demoted the red-hot pitcher.

Gary Phillips

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Clarke Schmidt said he was “a little shocked” by his demotion on Sunday, but no one will be surprised if the young righty rejoins the Yankees soon.

With MLB rosters shrinking from 28 players to 26 on Monday, New York sent Schmidt to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following a 6-4 victory over the Royals. Schmidt’s return to the minors came right after he earned the win against Kansas City, as the 26-year-old threw one scoreless inning after SP Luis Severino departed.

Schmidt enjoyed a stellar start to the 2022 season, registering a 1.08 ERA over 8.1 innings. With that in mind, he admitted to being “caught off guard” when Aaron Boone broke the news of his demotion.

“It’s a real tough pill to swallow. It’s just tough. There’s no easy way to put it,” Schmidt said after the game. “I’ve been throwing well, I’ve been feeling well, comfortable doing my job, getting guys out. It’s part of the game.

“Hopefully they get me back up here soon.”

Schmidt should not be too concerned about that last part.

His departure was based on logistics – he has options remaining – not performance. Schmidt said that the Yankees emphasized how well he has been pitching, and that he understands the demotion is the result of a numbers game.

“I get the semantics of it and all the details,” Schmidt cordially said. “Nothing makes it easier.”

Schmidt, the 16th overall pick in 2017, will likely be stretched out as a starter at Triple-A. That has typically been his role in the minors, though he has only started two of his nine major league games. Schmidt’s Sunday outing was his first this season in which he didn’t throw more than one inning.

He topped out at 54 pitches and 3.1 frames on April 19.

Regardless of his job, Schmidt should expect to be back sooner than later. This demotion may have stung given the timing, but Schmidt’s stuff and poise has him ready for a return in the near future.

“I just feel like a different player than I was last year and in the previous years,” he said. “So much more comfortable out there getting guys out. I don’t think the moment’s too big for me at all. I feel in complete control when I’m out there.

“I’ll take what I did in this month and kind of continue to roll with it and build off it.”

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Gary Phillips
GARY PHILLIPS

A graduate of Seton Hall, Gary Phillips has written and/or edited for The Athletic, The New York Times, Sporting News, USA Today Sports’ Jets Wire, Bleacher Report and Yankees Magazine, among others. He can be reached at garyhphillips@outlook.com.

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