Injured List Progress Report

By Sal Maiorana

August 8, 2024

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Sal Maiorana, a friend of the site, shares some of his thoughts on the Yankees.

For Sal's complete analysis on the New York Yankees, you can subscribe to Sal Maiorana's free Pinstripe People Newsletter at https://salmaiorana.beehiiv.com/subscribe.

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All in all, it wasn’t an overwhelming trade deadline for the Yankees as they acquired infielder/outfielder Jazz Chisholm from the Marlins, and relief pitchers Mark Leiter Jr. from the Cubs and Enyel De Los Santos for the Padres, and none of the deals really had a deep impact on the farm system.

After all the hullabaloo about how the trade deadline would change the identity of the team and arm it for a postseason run, that’s not what happened.

However, we sometimes forget the guys on the injured list who are due back with the team at various points over the final two months of the season, players who could definitely play key roles in the Yankees’ pursuit of the AL East division crown. Here are some thoughts on a few of these players, and what their role and impact could be.

SP Clarke Schmidt

He’s kind of been the forgotten man because he hasn’t pitched since May 26 when a lat strain put him on the shelf. That injury might be the biggest one the Yankees have suffered because Schmidt was pitching at an All-Star level with a 2.52 ERA, and 1.137 WHIP, both career lows. The 2017 first-round pick was performing better than he ever has since his MLB debut in 2020, and now that the rotation is going through all kinds of struggles, the Yankees desperately need him back.

The righty threw his first live batting practice session Tuesday before the rains came, 20 pitches to fellow injured teammates Jon Berti, Anthony Rizzo and Jose Trevino. “It was really sharp,” Schmidt told reporters. “Stuff was good. Good feedback from the hitters. I’m really happy with it. Physically, I felt great today.”

Schmidt could head out for his first rehab start sometime next week and might be able to get back into the rotation by the end of the month, though probably not until September. That would give him about a month to build himself back up and hopefully return to where he was in May, making him a legit option for the playoff rotation because clearly, Marcus Stroman can’t be counted on, nor can Nestor Cortes.

RP Ian Hamilton

Also suffering from a lat strain, he’s been out since last pitching on June 16. Hamilton was a pleasant surprise last season, but he hasn’t come close to repeating that success in 2024 as he’s sitting on a 4.55 ERA and an awful 1.584 WHIP while allowing 10 hits per nine innings.

His spot in the bullpen, even when he can return possibly by late August/early September, is no lock now that Leiter and De Los Santos are here. We’ll have to see if retreads like Jake Cousins, Michael Tonkin and Tim Hill continue to hold down spots. Cousins seems like another nice bullpen discovery (2.25 ERA and a fantastic 0.950 WHIP in 18 appearances), as have Tonkin and Hill, though I feel like Tonkin and Hill may be running out of lives.

With Leiter, De Los Santos and Cousins joining the high leverage guys Tommy Kahnle, Luke Weaver and Clay Holmes, Hamilton could have a tough time regaining a role in Aaron Boone’s circle of trust.

SP Cody Poteet

He suffered a triceps strain and hasn’t pitched since June 12 which was the last of his three starts after he took Schmidt’s spot in the rotation. He could be back sometime this month and he could be a spot starting option if Stroman and/or Cortes continue to struggle, or if the Yankees want to skip a Luis Gil start or two to save some innings for the postseason.

RP Scott Effross

The Yankees have been waiting on this guy for nearly two years. He came over from the Cubs at the 2022 deadline with a 2.91 ERA in 61 games for Chicago between 2021-22, then pitched five games for the Yankees before blowing out his elbow. He underwent Tommy John surgery and we haven’t seen him since.

Effross has nasty stuff and the Yankees were thrilled to get him, and in the five games he pitched, his REA was 2.13 with a dazzling 1.026 WHIP. He has made 13 appearances at Triple-A Scranton so he’s getting built up, but he hasn’t been very good as his ERA is a bloated 5.52, he’s averaging just 7.4 strikeouts per nine, and his walk rate per nine is 3.1.

C Jose Trevino

He has a pretty bad quad strain so he’s probably not coming back until early September. Austin Wells has been getting the lion’s share of the starts, but he can’t catch every night so Carlos Narvaez has had to play and while he’s been fine as a receiver, he’s not much of a hitter. Not that Trevino is much of a hitter either, but the Yankees will be happy when he can return.

1B Anthony Rizzo

He fractured his forearm on June 16 and is just now starting to ramp up his baseball activities. Before taking BP against Schmidt he had only been taking light swings in the past week, though he is taking ground balls and doing agility drills to stay in shape.

Rizzo’s not going to be back for at least a month, and quite frankly, is anyone really all that excited to get him back? He’s been terrible at the plate this season and while Ben Rice has obviously gone through his own deep batting slump, I’d still rather give him the playing time at first, and if DJ LeMahieu’s recent uptick with the bat is real, then platoon the two of them.

IF Jon Berti

I loved when the Yankees traded for Berti right before the start of the season because he can play all the infield positions, and he was always a competent MLB hitter during his five seasons in Miami who also has great speed on the bases. Alas, he’s been hurt almost all year and hasn’t helped at all.

He’s been taking ground balls as he works back from a calf strain, and he’s starting to ramp up his running and hitting program. If he finally gets healthy, I’d be all for Berti playing third, Chisholm playing second, and Gleyber Torres going to the bench. Berti could replace Torres at second, and he could get into the mix at first base because no one who has played there has hit well this season.