The New York Yankees are getting healthier at the right time, with several key pieces progressing quickly in their respective rehab assignments and each of them could be back in the fold very soon.
MLB: Seattle Mariners at New York Yankees May 23, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (48) follows through on an RBI sacrifice fly against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Anthony Rizzo could be back with the Yankees this weekend
First baseman Anthony Rizzo, who suffered a fractured forearm in a collision against the Boston Red Sox on June 16, has already started playing in the field after mostly serving as a DH in his first couple of rehab games. Rizzo homered in his third rehab game, and the fact that he is already back on the field would indicate that he is very close to a return (h/t MLB.com.)
The position has been a massive hole for the Yankees all season, as rookie Ben Rice has been slumping badly since his hot start and DJ LeMahieu has failed to get going offensively at all throughout the season. Rizzo was struggling himself before he went on the IL, as he is hitting just .223 with eight home runs and a .630 OPS this season. The Yankees will hope that he can return to the lineup as a positive contributor down the final stretch of the season.
Clarke Schmidt and Ian Hamilton could return to the Yankees in September
On the pitching side, the Yankees also have two key arms that are close to a return, as Ian Hamilton (lat strain) and Clarke Schmidt (lat strain) are making good progress in their respective rehab assignments. Schmidt pitched in his second rehab game earlier this week, this time with the Scranton Railriders in Triple-A, and he was sharp in his outing with three innings allowing just one run and striking out five batters.
This most recent start followed a 3.2-inning outing with a one-hit ball with six strikeouts in his first rehab game with the Somerset Patriots in Double-A. He has looked good so far as he is working his way back to a Yankees rotation that desperately needs him, as the group has spiraled in his absence. On the season, the right-hander is 5-3 with a 2.52 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 60.2 innings.
Barring any setbacks, Schmidt is on track to return to the rotation in mid-September, as he is expected to make at least one more rehab start before being activated. By then, they could have Luis Gil back from injury, so New York might need to move him to the bullpen to keep him healthy the rest of the way. Either way, the Yankees will be getting a very important piece in Schmidt back very soon, and will be huge for the postseason.
Ian Hamilton’s return will be massive for the Yankees’ bullpen
Hamilton has been out since June 16 with his lat strain and is finally on track to return to the bullpen. In his first two rehab outings, the righty has six strikeouts over 2.1 innings, which is a fantastic sign to see after he had really struggled to put hitters away with the Yankees prior to being placed on the IL.
The Yankees will benefit significantly from Hamilton’s impending return, as the bullpen has endured lots of struggles over the course of the past several weeks. Since July 18, Yankee relievers are pitching to a 4.02 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP, and have allowed 1.15 HR/9.
Getting Hamilton back in the mix will give the team significantly more bullpen depth as their deadline acquisitions have not panned out there, as Enyel De Los Santos lasted just two weeks before being designated for assignment and Mark Leiter Jr. has struggled badly since coming over.
The Yankees have several important players on their way back from injury, and for a team that enters Friday with a 1.5-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles for the American League East division lead, they will need all the reinforcements they can get to secure a division title.
