Overview
- Schmidt is scheduled to throw a live batting-practice session on Tuesday, and MLB.com reporter Bryan Hoch says a successful outing would lead to a Minor League rehab assignment.
- The Yankees plan to ease Schmidt back as a reliever rather than immediately returning him to the starting rotation, a role he has filled effectively in the past.
- Schmidt missed the entire 2026 season while recovering from a July 2025 elbow procedure and reached the live-hitter stage in July after earlier mound work.
- His recovery included a minor setback when forearm cramping cut short a live BP on Aug. 4, so the club is using a cautious, stepwise approach before any major-league activation.
- Reports differ on the exact July 2025 procedure—some accounts call it an internal-brace operation while others call it Tommy John surgery—which leaves some medical details unresolved as he progresses through rehab.