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.