Clarke Schmidt drops 2-word reaction as Max Fried, Luke Weaver, Fernando Cruz and more Yankees stars report for Spring Training

The New York Yankees will be looking to get over the disappointment of losing the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in October as pitchers and catchers report to Sprint Training on Tuesday.

As pitchers arrived at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa for the team's first workout, the Yankees shared their picture on Instagram.

"Happy Campin’," Yankees captioned the Instagram post.

The post featured new signings Max Fried, Clarke Schmidt, Luke Weaver, Fernando Cruz, Marcus Stroman and Austin Wells among others. Schmidt shared the post in his Instagram story, writing:

"We back!!"

(Image source - Clarke Schmidt Instagram)

The rest of the Yankees squad along with non-roster invitees will arrive at the complex later this week with position players reportedly joining on Sunday and the full workout scheduled for Monday.

The Yankees will host the Tampa Bay Rays in the Grapefruit League opener on February 21.

Clarke Schmidt ready to make the World Series this year after last season's heartbreak

Clarke Schmidt was drafted by the Yankees in 2017 and made his MLB debut for the team in 2020. After a rocky 2023 season, Schmidt bounced back last year. He started 16 games for the Bronx Bombers, posting a solid 2.85 ERA with a 5-5 record.

The 28-year-old pitcher talking about working on his routing in the offseason with YES Network's Meredith Marakovits. He said:

"I would say the routine has been kind of somewhat similar. Your throwing programs get adjusted a little bit with the shorter offseason. But as far as the training regimen, I just continued to go at it every day and had a lot less time for vacation, so I was pretty locked in. In the offseason, stick to my routine and am really excited to get back with the guys."

The Yankees came very close to breaking their World Series drought but were outplayed by the Dodgers in the Fall Classic in October. However, Clarke Schmidt and his teammates will use it as motivation ahead of the 2025 season.

"Once you get a little taste of it (World Series), it's all you think about," Schmidt added. "I know the guys feel the same way and we've been itching to get back out there, and obviously, we feel very motivated. You know what it's like when you have that experience, you kind of see what that atmosphere is like, and it just takes over. We gotta a long journey to get there, but we're really excited to get back."

With the arrival of All-Star ace Max Fried, the Yankees have one of the best rotations in the American League led by Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole. Clarke Schmidt would be keen to use his experience from last year and help the team get over the line this year.