South Carolina Professional Athletes

Two South Carolina alumni found themselves in the MLB headlines for very different reasons this week — one swinging a hot bat in Oakland, the other working his way back to a big-league mound in New York.

Clarke Schmidt: Light at the End of the Tunnel

The most significant Gamecock news of the week didn't come from a box score. Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt, who underwent Tommy John Surgery last summer, took a meaningful step toward his return when manager Aaron Boone announced Schmidt was scheduled to pitch in a rehab game. According to multiple reports, two key Yankees pitchers — Schmidt among them — are moving closer to rejoining the active roster after stints on the injured list.

Boone addressed the media ahead of New York's series with Houston, offering an optimistic tone on Schmidt's progression. For a Yankees rotation that has leaned heavily on its depth all season, a healthy Schmidt returning down the stretch would be a genuine boost. The timeline remains in flux, but the direction is clear: he's pitching, and he's close.

Carlos Cortes: Two-Run Blast Lifts the A's

While Schmidt rehabilitates, fellow Gamecock Carlos Cortes delivered in the moment. The Athletics outfielder went deep on Wednesday, August 26, belting a two-run homer as Oakland topped the Minnesota Twins 4-2. Gage Jump handled the bulk of the pitching load with nine strikeouts over six and a third innings, but Cortes provided the offense that made it stick.

Cortes carried a .258 average into that game and continued to make his case as a contributing piece in the A's outfield. He also collected a hit Sunday against the Astros and added another Saturday against the Orioles as the week closed. It's been a quietly productive stretch for the former Gamecock, who entered the week batting .261 and ended it at .256 — a slight dip, but with the long ball doing the heavy lifting mid-week.

Christian Walker: Tormenting His Former Bronx Rivals

Elsewhere, first baseman Christian Walker had a week worth noting in Houston. The veteran Gamecock slugger went 3-for-something with a two-run homer and two runs scored Thursday night as the Astros knocked off the Yankees 5-1. Walker also drove in a run Wednesday against New York, giving him a multi-game stretch of damage against the same club Schmidt calls home. It was a small, ironic chapter in a week full of Gamecock storylines — one alum carving up another's team while that alum is still rehabbing across town.

Walker is hitting .229 on the season, but his performance in the Yankees series was a reminder that his power and experience remain assets in a Houston lineup navigating its own late-season stretch run.

The Week in Brief

South Carolina's MLB footprint also included Carmen Mlodzinski logging 3.1 innings for the Pirates on Saturday and Jordan Montgomery making relief appearances for the Rangers on back-to-back days. Neither performance moved the needle dramatically, but both serve as reminders of how broadly the Gamecock alumni tree branches across the league.

The headline, though, belongs to Schmidt and Cortes — one writing his comeback story, the other already writing his name in the box score.

The Deal That Won't Stop Stinging

The Astros' front office may be regretting a winter decision — and a detailed Yahoo Sports analysis published this week made sure no one in Houston could look away. The piece argues that the franchise's reflexive aversion to big, long-term commitments led them into a different kind of trap: a mid-range deal that has quietly underperformed while the player they passed on has thrived elsewhere.

After the 2024 season, Houston balked at Alex Bregman's asking price and pivoted to Christian Walker, inking him to a three-year, $60 million contract. The comparison since then has not been kind. Bregman has slashed .264/.353/.433 and accumulated 7.5 bWAR in his new home. Walker, in two seasons with the Astros, is slashing .235/.302/.430 with just 2.3 bWAR — less than a third of Bregman's production value over the same window.

Walker's week at the plate offered a modest silver lining. He went hitless against the Mariners on Sunday, then heated up against the Athletics on Saturday — collecting two hits, driving in a run, and scoring one himself across the doubleheader to push his average to .234. It's the kind of solid-but-unremarkable production that defines his Houston tenure: league-average offense at a price point the fanbase now scrutinizes game by game.

A Gamecock in Pittsburgh Making His Case

While Walker navigates the noise in Houston, Carmen Mlodzinski is doing something more quietly interesting in Pittsburgh: building an actual rotation case. The South Carolina righty is listed at 6-5 with a 3.79 ERA heading into a featured home start against the Detroit Tigers on Monday.

That start was a mixed bag — Mlodzinski worked three innings, struck out three, but surrendered four earned runs in a tough outing that nudged his ERA just above 4.00. Still, his 6-5 record and sub-4 ERA for most of the season represent a legitimate step forward for a pitcher who has spent years fighting for roster security. For Pirates fans, that's a win.

Elsewhere: Shook Gets His Shot, Cortes Stays Hot

In Colorado, TJ Shook picked up a recall after the Rockies designated Michael Lorenzen for assignment — a move Yahoo Sports framed as Colorado beginning to shape its 2027 rotation. Shook logged two innings and struck out one in a tough 11-5 loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday, allowing one earned run. His ERA sits at 8.22, reflecting the steep learning curve of a team openly rebuilding around younger arms. The opportunity itself is the headline.

Meanwhile, Carlos Cortes is quietly having a strong August for the Athletics. The South Carolina outfielder went 1-for-2 with a walk Saturday against Houston — his former Gamecock teammate Walker's team, as it happens — and has hovered consistently around the .260 mark all week. He went 2-for-his-game Thursday against Kansas City and reached base multiple times across the Athletics' series, establishing himself as a reliable piece in Oakland's lineup.

Jordan Montgomery had a rough Thursday outing for Texas, lasting just two innings, striking out two, and carrying an ERA of 7.88. The former Gamecock lefty continues to search for consistency in what has been a difficult season.

The week's broader Gamecock story, though, belongs to Walker — and the $60 million question that refuses to go away in Houston.

Christian Walker Steals the Show in Houston

South Carolina's Christian Walker gave Astros fans the moment of the week — and maybe the month. With Houston trailing and the game deep in extra innings against the Mariners on Saturday, Walker unloaded a three-run walk-off homer off Seattle closer Andrés Muñoz in the 10th to lift the Astros to a 10-7 victory. Walker finished the night 2-for-his-at-bats with three RBIs and two runs scored, bumping his average to .238. It was the kind of moment that defines a season — a Gamecock digging in against one of the AL's better closers and delivering when the stakes were highest.

It wasn't Walker's only contribution this week. He drew a walk in a 3-3 tie against the Giants on Tuesday and has been a steady presence in the Houston lineup throughout the stretch. The walk-off was the exclamation point on a quietly productive seven days.

Carlos Cortes Keeps Raking in Oakland

Walker wasn't the only Gamecock making noise on Saturday. Out in Arlington, Carlos Cortes went 1-for-his-at-bats with a three-run double and a walk as the Athletics hammered the Rangers 8-3, helping Oakland pull away decisively. Cortes is hitting .260 on the season and has now driven in five runs across his two most recent outings this week — he also went 1-for-his-at-bats with two RBIs in Oakland's 4-12 loss to the Rays on Wednesday. Cortes has been one of the more quietly productive Gamecocks in the league this summer, consistently doing damage from the right field corner.

Montgomery and Mlodzinski Struggle on the Mound

It was a tougher week for South Carolina's pitchers. Jordan Montgomery has been one of the more concerning stories in the Rangers' rotation lately, and Friday's outing against the Angels did little to help. Montgomery lasted just two innings, surrendering four earned runs and finishing the night with an ERA that ballooned to 10.50. He'd fared only marginally better the previous Sunday against the Orioles — four innings, three earned, ERA at 6.75 — leaving Texas with legitimate questions about his role going forward.

Carmen Mlodzinski ran into his own trouble Wednesday in Pittsburgh's road trip against the Marlins. The righty worked 2.1 innings but allowed four earned runs, though his season ERA still sits at a more respectable 3.79, suggesting the outing was more blip than trend.

Roster Notes

Jonah Bride got a bump this week, with the Rangers adding him to the active roster in place of Alejandro Osuna. The South Carolina third baseman figures into a Rangers squad that's been navigating roster flux, and his return to the active 26-man is a notable development for a team still pushing in the AL West.

It was a week that illustrated the Gamecock footprint across the majors — from Walker's thunder in Houston to Cortes quietly dismantling the Rangers, South Carolina alumni were impossible to ignore.