The New York Yankees have had brutal injury luck in spring training. Giancarlo Stanton has injuries in both elbows; Gerrit Cole is out for the year; and Luis Gil is shut down. Opening Day is just around the corner, so they cannot afford another issue.

But the Yankees rotation got another hit, with Clarke Schmidt missing a start with a shoulder injury. YES Network’s Jack Curry and MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch have the latest on Schmidt.

“The expectation is that Clarke Schmidt will throw a live BP on Thursday,” Curry reported. “He threw about 25 pitches yesterday and reported no issues today. Still, with Opening Day only 9 days away, it’ll be interesting to see how Yankees handle Schmidt at the outset. He has had shoulder fatigue.”

Hoch replied to the post on X, formerly Twitter. “Schmidt has only made one spring game appearance (38 pitches), and Yanks were already planning to keep him in Tampa to build stamina. At this point, it would not be a shock if he begins the year on the IL, with Will Warren & Carlos Carrasco both in the rotation.”

The Yankees may be starting the season without their young pitcher. That puts even more pressure on Carlos Rodon and Max Fried, who will have to dominate on the mound.

The Yankees’ depth will be tested in 2025

This offseason, the Yankees lost Juan Soto after a historic season in pinstripes. Even with the additions of Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt, their offensive depth will be tested. Young starters Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells will have to help pick up the slack on offense.

But they brought Max Fried in to not do the same to their rotation. With potentially three injuries in spring, that depth will be tested.

Hoch mentions that Carlos Carrasco and Will Warren could start the year in the rotation. At least one of them will alongside Marcus Stroman, who was a part of trade rumors all offseason long. This is not the Opening Day rotation that Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone dreamed of this winter, but they must play the cards they were dealt.

The Yankees tabbed Rodon to be their Opening Day starter for the first time in his New York tenure. His rest schedule lined up with March 27 better than Fried’s, who will go on Saturday against the Brewers. If Schmidt cannot go, Warren and Carrasco will be important to a repeat division title in The Bronx.