SARASOTA, Fla. — Clark Schmidt may actually be healthy to start the season, but he still appears likely to land on the list of injured by day one with an inadequate accumulation case.
The Yankees right-hander threw two innings of live batting practice on Thursday afternoon at Stein Brenner Field, and managed it without any problems after being scratched by shoulder fatigue on Monday.
The only problem was that Schmidt threw 32 pitches equivalent to two innings, leaving him behind his other fellow starters with a pitch count that had only been left for a few days at camp.
For reference, Max Fried pitched 32 pitches in a two-inning live batting practice session on February 20th, a month before Schmidt arrived Thursday.
Schmidt threw 38 pitches on the start of his first and only Grapefruitreeg on March 11, but he struggled to bounce back.
The best thing to do is for Schmidt to return to Tampa to start the season. He's not making the Yankees shorter, but he can properly build a pitch count somewhere near the 70-80 pitch.
“That's possible,” Boone said. “I understand. That's possible, but we haven't made that final decision.”
Schmidt's start of season can bring in both Carlos Carrasco and Will Warren.
“We're going to do the right thing for Clark and us for a long time,” Boone said before facing the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium. “We have to make it right. Whether we have full power or a couple man, it doesn't change the equation. We've now made him right. We know how important he is to our rotation and season.”
In the meantime, Boone was pleased with how Schmidt looked while facing Austin Wells, Paul Goldschmidt, Pablo Reyes, Dominic Miss and Isma Elmguia on Thursday.
“I thought he was in good control over his power, so he didn't overheat it, but he's still alive at 94. [mph] Boone said. “All in a good day.”
Former Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo He eventually found a new home on Thursday and signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Braves.
The Yankees paid $8.7 million in his last year of arbitration last season and offered a high level of defense on the left field, while the 28-year-old Verdugo hit just .233 with .647 OPS in 149 games.
“He's a big league player and a good player,” Boone said. “The Braves have got really good players for a lot of money.”
Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Tim Hill And Fernando Cruz all threw his first spring back to back on Thursday. Each pitched in a Wednesday night match against the Braves before throwing live batting practice.
It could have been the final hurdle each of them cleared before breaking the camp.
Ian Hamilton, who was late with the infection early in the camp, was scheduled to appear in his first grapefruitreug with the Orioles in spring Thursday.
On Thursday, the Yankees reassigned LHP Brandon Reebrandt and RHP Alan Winnans to minor league camp. Both must provide starting depth in triple A to begin the season.
