3 Yankees players who won’t be on the roster by May 1

The Yankees will send Clarke Schmidt to the minor leagues by May 1

Clarke Schmidt has a chance to stick around with the Yankees far more than Sears does. If the early results are any indication, they may prefer to toss him back into Triple-A where he can keep his arm strong and provide them with emergency starts in the rotation instead.

Schmidt’s current role with the Yankees is to give them some length out of the bullpen. A role shared with fellow young arm Michael King, the two are in an April competition for the right to stick around in the big leagues.

A 2017 first-round pick by the Yankees, Schmidt has struggled at the major league level. Through his first 15.1 innings, he had a 0-2 record and 5.87 ERA. Already 26, it’s looking like his destiny could be fifth starter at best or more likely a bullpen arm.

King, meanwhile, has been better than Schmidt and is pitching well to begin the season. Last year, in 63.1 innings of work as a starter and reliever, King was 2-4 with a 3.55 ERA. The Yankees seem to have welcomed a spot for him in the bullpen. So far, it’s looking like a good decision.

Both of these pitchers have minor league options. Given the fact that the Yankees are pitcher-heavy with the 28-man roster, some tough decisions will need to be made regarding the pitching staff. Ultimately, it could come down to Schmidt or King. Let’s see how April plays out.

Unfortunately for these two and the rest of the bullpen, the Yankees have a short bench and someone deserving of a big league roster spot could end up packing his bags and head down to Scranton.