Ahead of their finale with the Minnesota Twins, the New York Yankees have made two big roster moves.
The New York Yankees are looking to win their fourth game in a row when they take on the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. New York has taken the first two games of the series with Minnesota, now looking for the sweep.
But before the game kicks off, the Yankees have made two big roster moves.
New York has reinstated right-hander Clarke Schmidt from the 60-day injured list. Schmidt is coming off a rehab assignment.
The team also designated infielder Oswaldo Cabrera for assignment.
Schmidt is coming off Tommy John surgery that he underwent in June 2025. The right-hander hasn't pitched in the big leagues since, and the Yankees will be trying to build him up for the upcoming playoffs.
While New York doesn't have time to build him up as a starter, Schmidt could be a true weapon out of the bullpen. The right-hander posted a 3.32 ERA over 14 starts last season before going out with an injury.
Schmidt made five rehab assignments between two minor league levels before being activated. The veteran worked multiple one-to-two-inning stints, building up his ability to throw over different outings.
In this time, he averaged 94.1 mph on his fastball in Triple-A, which is around what he was throwing before he got hurt. This has been very encouraging for the Yankees, and now Schmidt could have some sort of impact on how the rest of the year goes.
Schmidt has developed into a very nice pitcher for the Yankees over his career, holding a 3.82 ERA over 97 appearances. Having a guy like this for the playoffs could give New York an advantage, especially in the tough middle parts of a game where a reliever is needed for more than one inning.
As for Cabrera, he appeared in three games for the Yankees this season, getting nine at-bats. During this time, he didn't register a hit while striking out four times.
Last season, Cabrera played in 34 games for New York, hitting .243 with one home run and 11 RBIs, while posting an OPS of .630. The veteran will now look to find a new home to continue his baseball career.
The Yankees are looking to get some chance to overtake the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. New York sits 3.5 games back of Tampa Bay entering Wednesday's slate of games, giving them a slim chance to make it happen.
This team has clinched a postseason spot, but winning the division is the goal over the final week and a half of the regular season.
