Daily Report – 7/4/25
Here is today’s report:
Yankees
After the Yankees got swept in a four-game series in Toronto for the first time ever, and lost their American League East division lead, manager Aaron Boone told his team that they are “the best team in the league.” “There’s been years where we haven’t been equipped to go through this,” said Boone. “[This] group is, and we will.”
But what if this team isn’t equipped to overcome this adversity? What if this team’s identity resembles their performance in June better than that of April and May? The Yankees seem to find themselves in a rut like this every single June and July. That is not an attribute of the best team in the league. Neither is the current state of the Yankees’ offense or bullpen amid this horrific stretch.
“In my career as a Yankee, I can think about this happening almost every single year,” said Clarke Schmidt, who exited his start after 55 pitches with right forearm tightness. The Yankees placed him on the 15-day injured list this morning, and an MRI later today will determine the fate of his season. “It feels like around June and July where we kind of grind a little bit, and we’re going through it,” he added. Schmidt underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017, but this is the first elbow issue he’s dealt with since.
Schmidt said he has been dealing with tightness near his right elbow for three or four weeks, which likely means the discomfort started after his June 4 start against Cleveland. Schmidt threw seven innings of no-hit ball on June 21, but that might have aggravated his injury even more. His next start was delayed because he struggled to recover from that career-high 103-pitch appearance, and he hasn’t been the same pitcher since. The Yankees also hadn’t sent Schmidt for any testing before today, which furthers the concern that his injury could be season-ending.
“Just pitch to pitch, I didn’t feel 100 percent,” said Schmidt. “I felt like the whole night I was guarding it a little bit. On the breaking balls and stuff, really not ripping them or trying to get a lot behind them. […] I was just trying to be smart.” One of the worst things a pitcher can say is that they limited their arsenal to protect an injury. Schmidt only threw two knuckle curveballs last night, his most reliable breaking pitch, but he hopes he exited early enough to keep the injury at bay.
If the Yankees’ last month of baseball isn’t enough for them to stop believing they are the best team in baseball, then maybe a long-term Clarke Schmidt injury would suffice. If the Yankees were to lose Schmidt, they could find comfort in the fact that Luis Gil had a successful rehab start yesterday and is on the way to returning, but nothing can take away from Schmidt’s contributions to this Yankees rotation. A rotation that all season has lacked Gil, Gerrit Cole, and any other reliable right-handed starter. “[Schmidt is] one of our best guys, one of our best pitchers,” said Aaron Judge. “He’s meant so much to our club, especially the run we went on last year.”
Aaron Boone wants the Yankees to remain “unfazed” amid this difficult stretch. “I don’t want us to flinch,” said Aaron Boone. “I want us to come here, ready to prepare. Prepare, compete, win. We’re preparing to go out there and compete our [tails] off, and I know that if we do that well enough over time, we’ll win.” Boone essentially said that “prepare, compete, win” means acknowledging the existence of adversity and overcoming it. That means maintaining the same approach, no matter the circumstances.
But a championship formula isn’t that simple, and maintaining the same approach has led the Yankees to yet another June swoon, and it’s bled pretty badly into July. Overcoming adversity is an important step for a championship-caliber team to encounter, but no adversity was greater for this crew than losing the World Series. More adversity isn’t just unwelcome, but it’s unnecessary. More than ever in Aaron Boone’s managerial tenure, this season is championship-or-bust for the Yankees. Just because they’re the New York Yankees doesn’t mean they’re the best team in the league. Despite what Boone believes, your record does define you.
Since returning from the IL a couple of weeks ago, Luke Weaver hasn’t been the same pitcher. According to Katie Sharp, in his last nine games, Luke Weaver has given up five home runs to 39 batters, but in his previous 21 appearances, he never allowed a home run. Weaver admitted, “I’ll be very raw and honest that I do feel slightly fazed right now.” Of course he does. He’s a pitcher, and despite Aaron Boone’s wishes, some players on this team feel fazed! Their struggles are affecting how they play, and that’s okay, if they can recognize it.
But they cannot recognize it if their manager sees this team through rose-colored glasses. If Brian Cashman thinks the same way, then this team will do poorly at the trade deadline and have another miserable October exit.
Schedule
Here is your Fourth of July weekend roundup, including a pitching overview for the second leg of the Subway Series:
Friday 7/4:
6:00 AM: The Championships, Wimbledon 2025 – Third Round; ESPN
12:00 PM: 2025 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest; ESPN2
3:10 PM: 2025 Subway Series, Game 4 – NYY (2-1) at NYM (1-2); YES, SNY; SP: RHP Marcus Stroman (1-1, 8.16 ERA)
Saturday 7/5:
6:00 AM: The Championships, Wimbledon 2025 – Third Round; ESPN
4:10 PM: 2025 Subway Series, Game 5 – NYY at NYM; YES, SNY, FS1; SP: LHP Carlos Rodón (9-5, 2.95 ERA)
Sunday 7/6:
6:00 AM: The Championships, Wimbledon 2025 – Round of 16; ESPN
1:00 PM: The Championships, Wimbledon 2025 – Round of 16; ABC
1:40 PM: 2025 Subway Series, Game 6 – NYY at NYM; YES, SNY; SP: LHP Max Fried (10-2, 2.13 ERA)
