Injury Report for Guardians vs Yankees – Wednesday, June 4th, 2025

Cleveland Guardians

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New York Yankees

The New York Yankees will host the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium on June 4, 2025, in what promises to be an exciting matchup between two teams with contrasting trajectories this season. The Yankees currently sit atop the American League East with a strong 37-22 record, showcasing a powerful offense ranked 2nd in the league, bolstered by a recent series win against the Guardians. Meanwhile, the Guardians are 32-27, maintaining an above-average performance that keeps them competitive, but they are not quite at the Yankees’ level.

Clarke Schmidt is projected to take the mound for the Yankees after a solid season that has him ranked as the 60th best starting pitcher in MLB according to the leading MLB projection system. Although his 2-2 record may not reflect it, Schmidt has shown promise with a respectable 3.95 ERA and an even better 3.08 xERA, suggesting he could be due for a strong outing. He will be facing Luis Ortiz, who has struggled with a 2-6 record and a 4.40 ERA this season. Ortiz’s high walk rate (11.6 BB%) could pose a considerable challenge against the Yankees’ disciplined lineup, which leads the league in walks.

The Yankees’ offense, featuring players with power and patience, ranks 3rd in batting average and 2nd in home runs this season. In contrast, the Guardians rank 22nd in overall offense, struggling to keep pace. Given the Yankees’ elite bullpen, ranked 4th in MLB Power Rankings, the Yankees are poised to capitalize on any mistakes made by Ortiz and build upon their already strong season.

With a game total set at 9.0 runs and the Yankees projected for a team total of 5.14 runs, betting on New York to secure a victory looks appealing. The Guardians will need a stellar performance from Ortiz to stay competitive in this matchup.

Cleveland Guardians Insights

• Luis Ortiz – Over/Under 4.5 Strikeouts (-140/+110)
  Luis L. Ortiz’s higher utilization percentage of his secondary pitches this season (54.4% compared to 46.1% last year) should work in his favor considering they are typically much more effective than fastballs.
  Explain: A pitcher who limits has fastball usage will instead heavily use change-ups, curveballs, sliders, etc. These are far more effective pitches at preventing runs and generating strikeouts.
• Nolan Jones – Over/Under 0.5 Hits (-120/-110)
  Nolan Jones is projected to hit 9th in the batting order today, which would be a downgrade from his 50% rate of hitting in the top-half of the lineup this year.
  Explain: The lower in the order a player bats, the fewer plate appearances he will get and the fewer opportunities he will get to hit the Over for every market. A player who hits lower in the order than he normally does may provide extra value opportunity since the market may be based on him hitting higher.
• Cleveland’s 88.6-mph average exit velocity this year is among the worst in baseball: #28 overall.
  Explain: Hitting the ball hard increases the chances of either a home run or the ball landing in fair territory for a hit before a fielder can get to it.

New York Yankees Insights

• Clarke Schmidt – Over/Under 5.5 Strikeouts (+125/-165)
  In his previous start, Clarke Schmidt wasn’t on when it came to striking hitters out and only managed to post 2 Ks.
  Explain: A pitcher who struggled in his last outing may have something wrong that affects him in his next outing as well.
• Ben Rice – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+105/-135)
  Ben Rice’s average exit velocity has risen significantly from last season to this one, averaging 95-mph now compared to just 90-mph then.
  Explain: Hitting the ball hard increases the chances of either a home run or the ball landing in fair territory for a hit before a fielder can get to it.
• Anthony Volpe – Over/Under 0.5 Total Bases (-170/+130)
  Anthony Volpe hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (39.3% — 92nd percentile) but may find it hard to clear MLB’s 6th-deepest CF fences in today’s matchup.
  Explain: This player’s skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.

Betting Trends

• New York Yankees – 1st Five Innings (F5) Moneyline (-195)
  The New York Yankees have hit the 1st Five Innings (F5) Moneyline in 34 of their last 59 games (+8.90 Units / 10% ROI)
• Cleveland Guardians – Moneyline (+165)
  The Cleveland Guardians have hit the Moneyline in 22 of their last 40 games (+4.40 Units / 10% ROI)
• Cody Bellinger – Over/Under 0.5 Hits (-210/+160)
  Cody Bellinger has hit the Hits Over in 9 of his last 10 games at home (+7.30 Units / 41% ROI)