Marcus Stroman will be moved to the bullpen by the Yankees, at least for now. Stroman was scheduled to make his next start on Sunday against the Red Sox, but manager Aaron Boone informed reporters (including Brendan Kuty of The Athletic) that the Yankees want to skip Stroman’s turn in the rotation. Instead, the right-hander will be accessible from the bullpen.
Boone now has six healthy starting pitchers at his disposal after the Yankees activated Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt from the injured list this weekend. Nestor Cortes first lost his spot in the rotation; he was supposed to start last Saturday, but instead served as a piggyback relief for Schmidt. Cortes returned to the rotation Wednesday night, pitching five innings of one-run ball against Boston. According to Boone, Cortes will remain in the rotation at least until his next start.
Thus, Stroman is the odd man out this time. According to Boone, the Yankees may stay with a five-man rotation the next time around (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com), which means Stroman will likely spend more time in the bullpen. This must be disappointing for the veteran, who signed a two-year, $37MM contract with the Yankees last offseason with the expectation of being a full-time starter and possibly starting in the postseason. Nonetheless, given his performance this season, the Yankees’ choice should come as no surprise.
Stroman’s start in 2024 appeared to be average. He was 7-4 with a 3.51 ERA heading into the All-Star break. However, his underlying data were alarming, including a low strikeout rate (17.4%), a high walk rate (10.5%), a high home run rate (1.29 HR/9) and a career-worst SIERA of 4.94. His opponents had a.330 anticipated wOBA, which was much higher than the.315 league average this season.
Given all of this, it’s no surprise Stroman’s ERA has increased considerably in the second half. He has allowed 29 runs (26 earned) in 43 1/3 innings, for a 5.40 ERA. Despite improving his control (6.7% walk rate) and limiting his home runs (0.62 HR/9), he has only struck out 31 of the 195 batters he has faced (15.9% strikeout rate). His 4.48 SIERA is an improvement over the first half, but it remains dismal. Furthermore, Stroman’s predicted wOBA has gone worse. He’s one of 92 pitchers who have thrown at least 750 pitches since the All-Star break. Among that group, his.362 xwOBA is last.
Stroman was solid in his most recent appearance, going 5 1/3 innings and allowing three earned runs against the Royals. However, in his previous start against the Rangers, he lasted only 3 2/3 innings and allowed five runs on nine hits. Overall, Stroman isn’t having an awful season, but the Yankees now have five other starting pitchers who give them a better chance of winning.
Gerrit Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young champion, is a lock to lead the rotation, while Gil is having an outstanding rookie season. Schmidt was having his own breakout before joining the IL in late May. He looked just as sharp when he returned last weekend. Carlos Rodón has had ups and downs this season, but he has an ace pedigree and posted solid stats in the second half (3.33 ERA, 3.17 SIERA). Finally, Cortes has had his own ups and downs this season, but his overall averages are higher than Stroman’s, and Cortes has looked especially sharp in his last two appearances (1 ER, 12 K, 9 1/3 IP).
Interestingly, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman stated in 2019 that he did not trade for Stroman before the deadline because he “felt [Stroman] would be in [the] bullpen in the postseason.” The righty appeared to take the remarks personally, and Cashman apologized to him during negotiations this winter (via Ronald Blum of the Associated Press). Stroman, on the other hand, apparently handled the news of his move to the bullpen with grace (according to Hoch). According to Boone, Stroman will be “ready to go” in whatever position the team requires down the stretch.
