Yankees receiving much-needed rotation reinforcement

Through 15 games, the Yankees currently hold an 8-7 record, sitting a half-game back from the Blue Jays for the top spot in the AL East. New York has built a lineup that's ready to compete, but the biggest problem has been the team's starting rotation.

A slew of spring training injuries seemed to doom the Yankees rotation before the season began. Former AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole is out for the year, while reining AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil isn't expected back until early June. 

Over the weekend, the Yankees announced that one player would be returning to help bolster their rotation. Right-hander Clarke Schmidt is set to join the team and make his season debut Wednesday against the Royals. Schmidt started the season on the 15-day injured list due to a right rotator cuff injury. 

Schmidt made two starts with the Yankees' Double-A affiliate Somerset Patriots. He threw 7.1 innings, allowing four hits, striking out 11 batters, walking one and not allowing a run. 

In 2024, Schmidt started 16 games for the Yankees with a 2.85 ERA and struck out 93 batters across 85.1 innings. 

His return could not come at a better time as the Yankees have only had one consistent starter in Max Fried. With a 2-0 record and a 1.56 ERA (11th in the MLB), Fried has been consistent each time he's toed the slab. Besides Fried, not a single Yankee starter has an ERA below 5.00. 

Will Warren (5.14 ERA), Carlos Rodon (5.48 ERA), Carlos Carrasco (7.71 ERA) and Marcus Stroman (11.57 ERA) have combined to allow a total of 44 earned runs across 12 starts. For comparison, the New York Mets have only allowed a total of 34 earned runs, and that's from both their rotation and bullpen. 

A shaky start is one way to put it, but the Yankees are going to need improvement from their rotation. Currently, the Yankee starters rank dead last in the MLB in earned runs average with a 5.40 ERA. Last season, the Yankees ranked 11th in the MLB with a rotation average of 3.85.

ERA isn't the only stat that the Yankees rank dead last in. Their rotation has pitched less than every other team in the league with only 73.1 innings pitched. That's a disastrous combination, as the starters are allowing more runs than any other rotation while putting the pressure on the bullpen to handle a bulk of the team's pitching load as the offense attempts a comeback. 

On Friday in a 9-1 loss to the Giants, Stroman failed to make it out of the first inning in the worst outing of his career, allowing five runs on four hits and three walks. The next day the Yankees announced that Stroman was headed to the 15-day IL, further exacerbating the need for another starter.

It's going to be a long season in the Bronx if their rotation can't get it going. There needs to be more than a single starter who can go out and pitch six or seven quality innings. The Yankees are hoping that Schmidt will fill that role for the Yankees once he returns on Wednesday.