The New York Yankees lost 8-4 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.
Clarke Schmidt was warming up for his second appearance of the season, but started experiencing some discomfort in his right biceps. He did not come in, and it was revealed that he was dealing with bicep cramps.
"Nothing structural, it was more precautionary," Schmidt said after the game. "Obviously, given the circumstances, coming off surgery, I don't want to push through anything. All the testing was fine. There's nothing with the shoulder. There's nothing with the elbow. It was more just like a cramping type of feeling."
It looks like the Yankees dodged a bullet with Schmidt, who is trying to prove he deserves a role on the postseason roster.
Schmidt had a 3.32 ERA in 14 starts last year before his injury. The Yankees could use an arm like his, capable of going multiple innings, in the bullpen next month. However, this minor setback strips him of an outing to show what he can do.
In his lone outing in the big leagues, he got two outs, but surrendered two hits as well.
The Yankees are far from healthy going into the postseason, but the bullpen is a group that, for the most part, has stayed healthy. Schmidt is really going to have to pitch well in the final week to earn a spot, and his chances of making the postseason roster are pretty slim.