Yankees option Clarke Schmidt, add Albert Abreu in flurry of moves

The Yankees were busy this afternoon, swinging a deal with the Rays and rejiggering their roster in the process. The club announced they’d sent right-handed pitcher David McKay to the Rays in exchange for cash considerations, while also optioning Clarke Schmidt to Triple-A and adding Albert Abreu to the active roster.

McKay had only joined the Yankees from the Rays this April, appearing in two games in pinstripes before getting sent back to Tampa. He didn’t allow a run in two innings, so he’s tied at the moment for the lowest ERA in franchise history.

Schmidt has already ridden the Scranton Shuttle a bit this season, and it stands to reason he may do so the rest of the year. He’s performed fine out of the bullpen in limited run, with a 3.00 ERA in 24 innings in the bigs. He had appeared in consecutive games, so the Yankees likely saw fit to add a fresh arm on the roster. Aaron Boone also mentioned that they want to get Schmidt stretched back out to starting, which makes sense since he remains a solid starting pitching prospect.

That new (old) arm would be Abreu, who had been sent to Texas for Jose Trevino earlier this year. That trade has obviously been a home run for New York, and now they’ll even get back the player they exchanged for their starting catcher. Abreu has been shaky in the majors this year, walking 16 batters across 13 innings. Hopefully, the acclaimed Yankee pitching development machine can help Abreu get straightened out.