Injuries & Moves: Yanks make rare swap with Mets; Domínguez progressing
LATEST NEWS
May 31: C Luis Torrens traded to the Mets for cash considerations
Torrens, 28, was hitting .279 (31-for-111) with six doubles, five homers and 19 RBIs in 30 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. It is just the 17th trade all-time between the Yankees and Mets.
May 30: RHP Clarke Schmidt placed on 15-day injured list (retroactive to 5/27) with right lat strain; RHP Cody Morris recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
Schmidt last pitched on Sunday at San Diego, when he held the Padres to two runs (one earned) and three hits over five innings in New York’s 5-2 loss. In 11 starts this season, Schmidt has posted a 5-3 record with a 2.52 ERA. More >>
May 29: INF Kevin Smith accepts outright assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
The club had previously announced that Smith elected free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A. Smith, 27, has appeared in two games as a Yankee this season but has yet to bat. He has seen prior big league time with the Blue Jays (2021) and Athletics ('22-23).
10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST
RHP Clarke Schmidt (right lat strain)
Expected return: Possibly August
Schmidt underwent an MRI on May 29 after reporting difficulty bouncing back from a May 26 start at San Diego. He was seen by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on May 30. Manager Aaron Boone said that Schmidt will not throw for four to six weeks. He would then need to rebuild stamina, a process that would take several weeks from that point.
Schmidt expressed hope that he may be able to resume throwing in as few as three weeks, calling it “a soft timeline.”
"It definitely came out of nowhere. My body's been feeling amazing so far this year," Schmidt said. "I definitely felt it early in the bullpen, but things pop up as a pitcher and as a player. You have small things that pop up throughout the season. Throughout the game, it was definitely there. But for me, it was one of those things where I felt like it was probably going to work itself out."
Schmidt was placed on the 15-day injured list prior to the club’s May 30 game, retroactive to May 27. (Last updated: May 31)
INF Jon Berti (left calf strain)
Expected return: Possibly late July
Berti is in a walking boot and has been told to expect a recovery time of approximately six to eight weeks. He underwent a PRP injection on May 28. Berti was injured on May 24 as he attempted to run toward first base on a groundout, and was placed on the 10-day IL the following day. (Last updated: May 30)
RHP Nick Burdi (right hip inflammation)
Expected return: TBD
Burdi had a flare-up of the issue that put him on the 15-day injured list in April. Manager Aaron Boone said the club will give Burdi a few days of rest before determining the next step. (Last updated: May 24)
60-DAY INJURED LIST
OF Jasson Domínguez (right UCL tear; No. 1 on the Yankees Top 30 Prospects list)
Expected return: June
Domínguez began his Minor League rehab assignment with Single-A Tampa on May 14, marking his first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery last fall. After going 5-for-13 (.385) with one double and two RBIs for the Tarpons, Domínguez had his rehab transferred to Double-A Somerset on May 21.
“I feel really good,” Domínguez said on May 31. “The progression has been great. We’re going day by day, and every day, I feel better.”
Domínguez’s Minor League rehab assignment expires on June 3, at which time he is expected to be optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
“I can’t control that,” Domínguez said. “I’m just playing, making my progress, and when the time comes we will see what happens.”
The 21-year-old Domínguez was diagnosed with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Sept. 10, 2023. He underwent Tommy John surgery 10 days later, which included the addition of internal bracing. Dr. Keith Meister performed the procedure in Arlington. Domínguez resumed hitting right-handed on Feb. 26, then began taking swings from both sides of the plate in mid-March. (Last updated: May 31)
RHP Gerrit Cole (right elbow discomfort)
Expected return: Possibly June
Cole threw 43 pitches over three innings of live batting practice on May 30 at the Yankees' complex in Tampa, Fla., marking his third session against hitters. He previously threw 21 pitches from the Yankee Stadium mound on May 21, then tossed 30 pitches in Tampa on May 25.
Asked recently if he considers it realistic to return to the big league rotation in June, Cole said: “I wouldn’t rule it out.”
Cole has been throwing from a mound since May 4, when he tossed 15 fastballs at Yankee Stadium. Subsequent appearances have come on May 7, 11 and 14, including sessions at Tropicana Field on May 11 and at the Yankees’ spring complex in Tampa on May 14.
Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, is expected to need at least four to six weeks to ramp up once he begins pitching. Cole underwent an MRI on March 11 after relaying difficulty bouncing back between his spring outings, likening his level of fatigue to what he usually would feel after throwing 100 pitches during the regular season. He had more testing performed on March 12, then visited Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on March 14. ElAttrache confirmed that there was no damage to Cole’s ulnar collateral ligament. (Last updated: May 30)
RHP Scott Effross (Tommy John surgery, back surgery)
Expected return: Summer 2024
Effross is “doing well,” manager Aaron Boone said on May 22, noting that “it’s been a good three or four weeks with some slow-moving stuff there.” Boone said that Effross has “put together a good few weeks of bullpens” and is getting ready to advance to live batting practice, “so he’s moving in a good direction.”
Effross is recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in October 2022, though he began experiencing back discomfort in autumn 2023, which prompted a microdiscectomy of his L-4 and L-5 vertebrae in December. (Last updated: May 22)
RHP JT Brubaker (recovery from Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: July
Brubaker, who was acquired from the Pirates on March 29, is recovering from Tommy John surgery performed on April 12, 2023. He has been targeting the All-Star break for a big league return.
Brubaker faced DJ LeMahieu in live batting practice on May 11 at the Yankees’ complex in Tampa, Fla. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on May 22 that “everything‘s going well with his live BPs and getting ramped up, so he could be in the mix here before long.” (Last updated: May 22)
RHP Chase Hampton (sprained right ulnar collateral ligament; No. 3 on the Yankees Top 30 Prospect list)
Expected return: TBD
Hampton has yet to pitch this season after sustaining a right UCL strain during Spring Training. Hampton received a platelet-rich plasma injection on or around March 15, at which time he was shut down from throwing for four to six weeks. Hampton was reassigned to Minor League camp on March 3. (Last updated: May 18)
RHP Lou Trivino (recovery from Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Summer 2024
Trivino experienced right elbow inflammation in late April and was shut down for three to four weeks, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on May 12.
“He won’t throw for a couple of more weeks, and then [will] start ramping up again,” Boone said. “They feel like it’s kind of minor.”
Trivino was seen by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, as well as team doctors, who performed imaging and confirmed no damage to the pitcher’s ulnar collateral ligament. Trivino is recovering from Tommy John surgery performed on May 3, 2023. (Last updated: May 12)
RHP Jonathan Loáisiga (right UCL tear)
Expected return: 2025
Loáisiga said on April 6 that he has a torn UCL and needs season-ending surgery. Dr. Keith Meister will perform the procedure, which Loáisiga said has an estimated recovery time of 10 to 12 months. Loáisiga was placed on the 60-day injured list on April 5, retroactive to April 4. (Last updated: April 6)