Yankees activate Clarke Schmidt from 60-day IL, designate Oswaldo Cabrera

The Yankees activated right-handed pitcher Clarke Schmidt from the 60-day injured list on September 16, 2026, after 14.5 months away from Major League competition. Schmidt underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in early July 2025, when he was removed from action mid-season. In 2025, he went 4-4 with a 3.32 ERA in 14 starts before the injury shut him down.

The 30-year-old has a career record of 23-24 with a 3.82 ERA in parts of six seasons with the Yankees. Manager Aaron Boone said of Schmidt, "I feel like he's throwing the ball well. He's had a really good month. I feel like he's ready to come in and hopefully play a role for us in our journey." Schmidt told MLB.com, "It's been a long journey, a lot of work that goes into this, a lot of long days, early mornings. I'm a baseball fan, so watching games has been really tough, but obviously just watching from afar, I've been itching to come back."

The Yankees designated infielder Oswaldo Cabrera for assignment to create room on the 40-man roster. Cabrera is 27 years old and suffered a broken ankle in May 2025 while avoiding a tag at home plate in a game at Seattle. He played just three games with the Yankees in 2026, spending the remainder with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Schmidt will begin in the bullpen as he continues building back strength. His pitch count will be closely monitored and he will not pitch on consecutive days, MLB.com reported. Boone said Schmidt would not necessarily be limited to one-inning stints. The controlled return reflects the organization's cautious approach to a pitcher recovering from major elbow surgery during a pennant-race stretch.

Boone praised Cabrera despite the designation, saying, "I feel like I'm blessed to have a lot of guys on this team I just admire and respect and love doing the job with on a daily basis. And Oswaldo's right there at the top of that list. Just how he goes about things, how he treats people, the teammate he is." Boone added, "The good thing is Oswaldo's come back from a very difficult injury and had a really good year down in Triple-A. He's playing really well. So hopefully this is just one of those things, and I'm confident that Oswaldo will go on to have a very good career. Hopefully it's still with us."