Aaron Boone motions to the bullpen during the eighth inning of Game Five of the 2024 World Series.
The New York Yankees added some help to their bullpen by bringing back a familiar face this week.
The team designated pitcher Geoff Hartlieb for assignment earlier in the week and he opted for free agency, but quickly returned to the Bronx. The team announced that they signed Hartlieb, who ended up providing some help over the weekend.
Geoff Hartlieb Replaces Injured Pitcher
As SI.com’s Erin Shapland noted, the 31-year-old Hartlieb returned to the team to help replace Clarke Schmidt, who suffered an injury that is feared to be season ending. Hartlieb was a regular with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders before being called up for Sunday’s series-ending win over the New York Mets.
Hartlieb could be a long-term addition for the Yankees, with Shapland noting that Schmidt is expected to be gone for a while.
“Schmidt was injured during his Thursday start against the Toronto Blue Jays, leaving the game after three innings with forearm tightness,” Shapland wrote. “He underwent an MRI when the team returned to New York after the losing series. Clarke will likely undergo Tommy John surgery in a devastating blow to the team’s struggling pitching rotation.”
Schmidt had been pulled from Thursday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays after experiencing tightness in his arm.
“Earlier on in the game, it felt OK,” Schmidt said, via the Associated Press. “As the game progressed, it sort of tightened up a little bit on me.”
“I felt like the whole night I was kind of guarding it a little bit on the breaking balls, really not ripping them or trying to get a lot behind them,” he added.
The Yankees had a grim prognosis for Schmidt, with manager Aaron Boone saying he may need to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery.
The Yankees sent pitcher Javien Sandridge down to Triple-A to make room for Hartlieb on the roster. Sandridge had been up and down between the Bronx and the minor leagues several times this season before finally making his debut this weekend against the Mets.
The Yankees could have more help on the way as reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is nearing his return. As Ian Casselberry of Yahoo Sports reported, Gil is expected to start a rehab assignment soon and could be back with the Yankees shortly after the All-Star break.
Casselberry noted that the Yankees could have some other options to help their pitching staff until Gil returns. That could include a rapid acceleration of one of the franchise’s top prospects, Cam Schlitter.
“Other internal starting pitching options for the Yankees could include Allan Winans, who struggled in a spot start but was excellent in Triple-A before being called up,” Casselberry wrote. “Brendan Beck was recently promoted to Triple-A, where he has a 2.93 ERA after three starts. In his 11 appearances at Double-A, he compiled a 1.82 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 54 1/3 innings. Cam Schlitter, ranked as the Yankees’ No. 10 prospect by MLB.com, has a 3.80 ERA in five Triple-A starts with an overall mark of 2.82 in the minors this season.”
