Yankees Injury Tracker: Clarke Schmidt will begin rehab assignment with Double-A on Saturday

Here is the latest news and possible return dates for Yankees players...

April 5, 12:19 p.m.

Clarke Schmidt should be returning to the big league club soon as the right-hander gets ready to begin a rehab assignment starting Saturday with the Somerset Patriots in Double-A.

If all goes well for Schmidt who is recovering from right rotator cuff tendinitis and hasn't pitched in a game since March 11, manager Aaron Boone said the 29-year-old will make one more start in the minors before rejoining the Yanks on either April 15 or 16 to face the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium.

Meanwhile, DJ LeMahieu (calf) is still a week away from getting live at-bats, per Boone. The infielder hasn't played since his spring training debut on March 11 and will likely have a "pretty big build-up" before joining New York.

April 4, 3:50 p.m.

The Yankees aren't expecting Luis Gil (lat strain) to make his 2025 debut until sometime later this summer, but the reigning AL Rookie of the Year will soon take an important step forward in his recovery.

Before their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, manager Aaron Boone revealed that Gil is scheduled to start a throwing program in 7-10 days. The young right-hander was shut down in early March with a high-grade strain, and the initial expectation was to miss three months.

Boone also shared updates, both promising and discouraging, on a few injured relievers. Jake Cousins (forearm strain) is less than a week away from returning to the mound, though his place on the 60-day injured list means that his return isn't imminent. Ian Hamilton (infection), who's been ramping up in Triple-A games, is expected back in the bullpen next week when the Yankees visit the Tigers.

There was more bad news regarding Scott Effross (left hamstring), as he recently experienced a setback that pushes his timeline even further behind schedule.

March 29, 10:35 a.m.

RHP Ian Hamilton (illness), who was placed the 15-day IL to start the season, will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, the Yankees announced.

Manager Aaron Boone said the team expects Hamilton to return as soon as he's eligible, which would be April 8.

Hamilton, 29, appeared in 35 games (37.2 IP) for the Yanks in 2024, going 0-1 with a 3.82 ERA, 41 strikeouts, 11 holds, and one save. He did miss some time due to a right lat strain, as he had pitched more in 2023 (58.0 IP over 39 games) with a 2.64 ERA and 69 strikeouts.

If Hamilton can return to his 2023 form, the Yankees could have one of the strongest, if not the best, bullpens in the majors along with All-Star closer Devin Williams and RHP Luke Weaver.

Boone also noted Giancarlo Stanton has resumed hitting indoors in the batting cages and "it's been a good couple of weeks" for him following the PRP treatments in his elbows.

March 19, 3:27 p.m.

After dealing with a minor back issue that had him sidelined for much of spring training, Mark Leiter Jr. threw an 18-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday and felt good, telling reporters afterwards, "If the season started tomorrow, I'd be ready."

Though the injury is not considered a big concern, Leiter hasn't pitched in a spring training game since March 6, after he was scratched from appearing in an outing last week -- with skipper Aaron Boone saying the team was taking a cautious approach.

The right-hander has less than a week of Grapefruit League action left before the Yankees' regular season starts on March 27 against the Milwaukee Brewers.

March 15, 7:15 p.m.

Mark Leiter Jr. is the latest Yankees reliever nursing an injury. The veteran right-hander, who hasn't seen any Grapefruit League action since March 6, was scratched from appearing in Thursday's game against the Detroit Tigers due to a back issue.

The good news is the team doesn't consider Leiter's back trouble as serious -- he's actually scheduled to throw live batting practice on Sunday. Following the Yankees' tie with the Rays on Saturday, manager Aaron Boone said they took a cautious approach to recovery and it "wasn't anything huge."

New York acquired Leiter last summer, in a deal with the Chicago Cubs ahead of the trade deadline. The 33-year-old wasn't too reliable in pinstripes, as he posted a 4.98 ERA with 33 strikeouts across 21.2 innings (21 appearances). But he's still a bullpen arm the team is relying on this season.

Feb. 19, 3:45 p.m.

Any hopes of Giancarlo Stanton appearing in the Opening Day lineup are dwindling by the day. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Wednesday that the veteran slugger, who's dealing with tendinitis in both elbows, has no timetable to resume baseball activities.

The news of Stanton's injuries was revealed a day before the Yankees' first full-squad workout of camp, when Boone noted that Stanton was "a little bit behind" in his ramp-up due to elbow pain that dates back to last season. Boone also stressed precaution then.

Stanton finally offered insight on Monday, admitting that he hasn't swung a bat in nearly a month due to "very high" pain in both elbows. While the injuries are a pain-tolerance matter -- he thrived in the 2024 postseason despite discomfort -- he also didn't express certainty in an Opening Day appearance.

Feb. 16, 2:13 p.m.

When the Yankees hold their first full-squad workout of spring camp on Monday, their veteran designated hitter won't be participating with full health.

While speaking to reporters on Sunday, manager Aaron Boone revealed that slugger Giancarlo Stanton is "a little behind" in his ramp-up due to discomfort in both elbows that dates back to last season, and his current status for Opening Day is "tough to say."

"Both elbows, really akin to tennis elbow, that he maintained and kind of played through, especially in the second half of the year," Boone said. "We want to make sure to give that as much time, so we'll probably slow-play him a little bit... It's just something that we don't want to rush if we can get to a really good spot, and know we'll probably have to deal with some maintenance with it throughout the year. But just don't want to force something too early."

The Yankees didn't exactly enter last season with expectations of Stanton being an essential contributor, but the team wouldn't have reached its first World Series since 2009 without the 35-year-old's production at the plate. He mostly carried the lineup in October, hitting .273 with seven home runs, 16 RBI, and nine runs across 14 postseason games. He also received ALCS MVP honors.

It's not at all surprising that Stanton is already nursing injuries. Since joining the Yankees back in 2018, he's played more than 130 regular-season games only twice. Last year, he spent five weeks on the injured list to due a hamstring issue.

Boone also noted that outfielder Trent Grisham pulled a hamstring a few weeks ago, but isn't "too far behind" in his return to full baseball activities.