MINNEAPOLIS -- It’s been 14 1/2 months since last set foot on a Major League mound, but as of Wednesday he’s officially back.

The Yankees activated Schmidt from the IL before Wednesday’s game against the Twins after he completed his recovery from Tommy John surgery, designating for assignment to make room for him on the 40-man roster.

“It’s been a long journey, a lot of work that goes into this, a lot of long days, early mornings,” Schmidt said. “I'm a baseball fan, so watching games has been really tough, but obviously just watching from afar, I’ve been itching to come back.”

The 30-year-old right-hander has a career record of 23-24 with a 3.82 ERA in parts of six seasons with the Yankees. In 2025, he went 4-4 with a 3.32 ERA in 14 starts before the injury to his right elbow shut him down in early July. 

Now he’s back and ready to play whatever role is needed of him, beginning in the bullpen as he continues to build back strength.

“I think whatever the role is, it's going to work itself out,” Schmidt said. “I do think in shorter bursts, maybe a couple ups, is kind of where our target is, and then see how much we can shorten that recovery window to be able to throw as quick as possible with the least amount of days down.”

For now, his pitch count will be closely monitored and he won’t pitch on consecutive days, though manager Aaron Boone said Schmidt wouldn’t necessarily be limited to one-inning stints.

“I feel like he’s throwing the ball well. He’s had a really good month,” Boone said. “I feel like he's ready to come in and hopefully play a role for us in our journey.”

The 27-year-old Cabrera has been a favorite of fans and teammates and spent most of the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Yankees.

“I feel like I’m blessed to have a lot of guys on this team I just admire and respect and love doing the job with on a daily basis,” Boone said. “And Oswaldo’s right there at the top of that list. Just how he goes about things, how he treats people, the teammate he is.” 

In May 2025, Cabrera suffered a broken ankle while avoiding a tag at home plate in a game at Seattle. He missed the rest of the season and played just three games with the Yankees this year, spending the rest of his time with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

“The good thing is Oswaldo’s come back from a very difficult injury and had a really good year down in Triple-A,” Boone said. “He’s playing really well. So hopefully this is just one of those things, and I'm confident that Oswaldo will go on to have a very good career. Hopefully it's still with us.”