The Yankees are moving Marcus Stroman to the bullpen, at least for the time being. Stroman would have been lined up to make his next start on Sunday against the Red Sox, but manager Aaron Boone told reporters that the Yankees plan to skip Stroman’s turn in the rotation, via Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. Instead, the right-hander will be available out of the bullpen.
Boone has had six healthy starting pitchers at his disposal since the Yankees reinstated Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt from the injured list this past weekend. At first, it was Nestor Cortes who lost his spot in the rotation; he was scheduled to start last Saturday, but instead, he appeared as a piggyback reliever for Schmidt. However, Cortes returned to the rotation Thursday night, tossing five innings of one-run ball against Boston. Boone says Cortes will remain in the rotation for at least his next start, per Jorge Castillo of ESPN.
Thus, Stroman is the odd man out this time around. Boone suggests the Yankees could stick with a five-man setup the next time through the rotation as well, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, which likely means more time in the bullpen for Stroman. This surely comes as a disappointment for the veteran, who was certainly planning to be a full-time starter — and hopefully start in the postseason — when he signed a two-year, $37M guarantee with the Yankees last offseason. That said, with the way he has performed this year, the Yankees’ decision shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.
On the surface, Stroman got off to a typical start in 2024. Through the All-Star break, he was 7-4 with a 3.51 ERA. However, his underlying metrics were concerning, 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 4.94 SIERA. His opponents produced a .330 expected wOBA, significantly higher than the .315 league average this season.
With all that in mind, it’s no wonder Stroman’s ERA has risen dramatically in the second half. He has given up 29 runs (26 earned) in 43 1/3 innings of work, good for a 5.40 ERA. Although he has improved his control (6.7% walk rate) and gotten his home runs in check (0.62 HR/9), he has struck out only 31 of the 195 batters he has faced (15.9% strikeout rate). His 4.48 SIERA marks an improvement from the first half, but it’s still poor. On top of that, Stroman’s expected wOBA has only gotten worse. He is one of 92 pitchers who have thrown at least 750 pitches since the All-Star break. Among that group, his .362 xwOBA ranks last.
Stroman was solid in his latest outing, tossing 5 1/3 and giving up three earned runs against the Royals. However, he lasted just 3 2/3 and gave up five runs on nine hits against the Rangers the start before that. All things considered, Stroman isn’t having a bad season, but simply put, the Yankees have five other starting pitchers who give them a better chance to win games right now.
Reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole is a lock atop the rotation, while Gil is enjoying a tremendous rookie campaign. Schmidt was enjoying a breakout of his own before he hit the IL in late May. He looked just as sharp in his return last weekend. Carlos Rodón has had his ups and downs this year, but he has an ace pedigree and strong numbers in the second half (3.33 ERA, 3.17 SIERA). Finally, Cortes has had trials and tribulations of his own this season, but his overall numbers are stronger than Stroman’s, and Cortes has looked especially sharp his last two times out (1 ER, 12 K, 9 1/3 IP).
Funnily enough, Yankees GM Brian Cashman claimed back in 2019 that he didn’t trade for Stroman at that year’s deadline because he “felt [Stroman] would be in [the] bullpen in the postseason.” The righty seemed to take those comments personally, and Cashman ended up apologizing to him during negotiations this past winter, per Ronald Blum of the Associated Press. However, Stroman reportedly took the news that he would be moving to the bullpen with grace, per Hoch. According to Boone, Stroman will be “ready to go” in whatever role the team needs him down the stretch.
