Prayers up!

Yankees Aaron Boone amid missing Clarke Schmidt in Angels series despite leading AL East
Aaron Boone has a lot to figure out during these next few games to stay atop the AL East. With one last game to go against the Los Angeles Angels, their series is tied with one game apiece. But, the New York Yankees just came off big losses to this squad and the San Diego Padres too. This means that there have been some fairly inconsistent performances in their past few outings. Their pitching has not been exceptional and it looks like it also just took a big hit from the injury bug with this latest update from Clarke Schmidt.

The Yankees are not going to have Clarke Schmidt to finish off their series with the Angels. Aaron Boone’s squad is also likely not going to see the RHP in action when they face the San Francisco Giants and the Minnesota Twins. He has been placed on the 15-day injured reserve list. His right lat got strained and it was the best choice for Aaron Boone and the staff to give him rest, per the Yankees PR Department.

Due to this, the Yankees have also recalled Cody Morris. This RHP has been spending some time in the Triple-A with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Hopefully, he produces immediately such that they win this series against the Angels. More importantly, it also gives them a shot to pull away with the lead in the AL East. As of the moment, the Baltimore Orioles are ready to usurp the Yankees from the top spot if they start slumping. Only three games stand between these two squads that are trying to get into prime position for a deep run at the World Series come fall.

Yankees faithful react to the key absence

May 21, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt (36) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports© Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Clarke Schmidt has been such an integral part of the Yankees’ early success this season. This is largely why the team’s devoted fans were disheartened after learning of his injury. The news becomes especially more gut-wrenching since Gerrit Cole has not returned to Aaron Boone’s team either.

“F***! well I guess the rotation just sorted itself out for Cole’s return,” a user wrote.

“Oh noooooo,” and “Not now,” were also common sentiments thrown around.

These are all understandable feelings. After all, Schmidt recorded a 2.52 ERA in his first 11 starts for the Yankees. His absence will definitely be felt.

Some members of the faithful were not too worried about this absence. It looks like they trust that he will be back in fine shape after, “Good give him a little rest and let him heal…. He has been amazing lately and it lets the Yankees see some other talent, especially with the trade deadline coming in a month and a half! I’m not worried about it.”

Others were more concerned when it came to why Cody Morris was the one called up, “I wonder why not Beeter. He looked very good in the past for us… Is he hurt down in the minors or something?!”

Leading the AL early on is definitely a hard burden to carry. But, the Yankees are definitely going to sort this out.