Clarke Schmidt mentioned that he believes a new sweeper led to his elbow injury, and he will stop throwing the pitch.

Schmidt said that he and the Yankees’ pitching department worked together to break his one sweeper up into two distinct breaking balls, including a new one that was “designed to give him more horizontal break and a better weapon against righties.” The pitch did that, but it also required Schmidt to “grip it really hard” and “torque it,” which caused the 30-year-old to have a tough time recovering in between his starts. He was then forced to undergo elbow surgery in July. He likely won’t return until the end of the summer, but he claims that he will stick to “his old sweeper grip and will definitely ditch the newer one.” That could lead to fewer strikeouts for Schmidt but more long-term health.