Schmidt skipped a start with left oblique muscle soreness and is not expected to be on the injury list

Clarke Schmidt's start scheduled for Saturday against the Rays was canceled due to soreness in his left oblique muscle. Yankees coach Aaron Boone said the right-hand shooter, who had a normal MRI on Friday afternoon, is expected to start against the Padres on Tuesday and does not need to be on the injury list.

Left-handed Ryan Yarbrough will replace Schmidt as Saturday's interim starter. Schmidt has a three-game starting record this season with 0 wins and 1 defeat and a 5.52 ERA.

"The soreness after the last start was slightly worse," Schmidt, who most recently appeared on the board against the Blue Jays on April 27, "I was told the team would be available today, but after Max Fried shot seven innings on Friday, the bullpen was more flexible. "

Schmidt started the season with a right rotator cuff tendonitis, which he attributed to the short offseason after last year's playoff and World Series appearances, which led to a rush to prepare.

"Clark has some concerns, especially given the delays in spring training and the sporadic injuries," Boone said, "but the MRI results are reassuring and should be fine." "

The Yankees' pitchers have been hit hard by injuries to spring training: Gerrit Cole (reimbursed for the season after Tommy John's surgery), Luis Gil (recovering from a severe right latissimus dorsi strain) and season No. 3 starter Marcus Stroman (left knee inflammation) are all out injured.

Fried picked up the ace in Kerr's absence, conceding no points and hitting one hit in seven games against the Rays on Friday, improving his record to 6-0 and a 1.01 ERA rate.

While Fried won all seven of his starts, the rest of the Yankees' pitchers started with just 12 wins and 13 losses (as of Saturday's game). Schmidt expressed confidence in Tuesday's return: "It's up to the team to decide when to come on the bench, and thankfully it's just a matter of a few days and not a long-term absence. "