The New York Yankees are seeing increased competition for spots in their postseason bullpen, with the recent recall of pitcher Luis Gil and the ongoing rehabilitation of Clarke Schmidt.

Gil, who was activated Sunday morning, joins the bullpen after recovering from right shoulder inflammation that sidelined him for approximately three months. He made his way back through a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, pitching 4 ⅓ scoreless innings over three appearances, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out six. His velocity on his fastball during this stint averaged 96.1 mph, a notable increase from the 95 mph average seen during his four April starts earlier this year.

"He’s been through a lot the last couple of years just with some different injuries and kind of trying to re-find that magic a little bit," manager Aaron Boone said. "I feel like he’s in a pretty good place right now and hopefully he can come up here and be a factor and play a role for us."

Schmidt, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2025, took a significant step in his recovery Saturday by pitching in his first professional game since the procedure. The 30-year-old threw 20 pitches, 16 for strikes, facing four batters and striking out two while allowing a triple and a home run in a Double-A Somerset outing. "It felt great," Schmidt stated after the outing. "Obviously it’s been a long process, so to be able to get back out and compete on the field is good and kind of get some jitters out and pitch in front of a crowd was a lot of fun."

Schmidt is scheduled to continue his rehab assignment, with his next appearance anticipated for Wednesday. The Yankees aim to see if his repertoire remains effective in shorter relief appearances following surgery. "Obviously you pitch a little bit different when you’re in that [reliever] role. You can kind of let it eat a little bit," Schmidt commented, adding that he likely would not be used in back-to-back games. "You can kind of step on the gas a little bit more."

Gil and Schmidt are among several pitchers vying for a place in an October bullpen that already has David Bednar, Paul Blackburn, Brent Headrick, and Tim Hill penciled in, assuming they remain healthy. Other potential contributors include current bullpen members Michael Fulmer and Ryan Yarbrough, conversion candidates Elmer Rodríguez and Will Warren, the recently optioned Yerry De los Santos, and sidelined pitchers Angel Chivilli and Ryan Weathers.