New York Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery after an MRI revealed a tear in his right ulnar collateral ligament, manager Aaron Boone said on Saturday. The 29-year-old is seeking second opinions, but the club considers the procedure “inevitable,” which would sideline him for the rest of the 2025 season and likely most of 2026. Schmidt departed his start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday with forearm tightness and was placed on the injured list the following day. In 14 outings this year, he logged a 4–4 record, a 3.32 ERA and 73 strikeouts over 78 2⁄3 innings, holding opponents to a .199 average. It would be his second Tommy John operation; he first underwent the surgery before the Yankees selected him in the 2017 draft. The loss compounds a difficult year for New York’s rotation, which is already without ace Gerrit Cole following elbow reconstruction in March and has yet to see Luis Gil pitch because of a lat strain. The Yankees have fallen to 48–40 after a five-game skid and trail the American League East-leading Blue Jays by two games, increasing pressure on the club to fortify its pitching depth ahead of the trade deadline.