Clarke Schmidt Injury: Gets internal brace procedure

Schmidt (elbow) revealed Monday that the UCL surgery he underwent July 11 was an internal brace procedure, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.

Having the internal brace procedure rather than a full Tommy John repair gives Schmidt a much better chance of contributing next season, with the righty proclaiming Monday that he'll "be a factor next year." According to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News, Schmidt is expected to face a recovery timeline of 11-to-13 months, whereas a traditional Tommy John surgery would entail a 14-to-16-month recovery period. Schmidt previously underwent Tommy John surgery back in 2017 before he was drafted.