New York Yankees veteran Marcus Stroman insisted he wouldn’t pitch out of the bullpen.
It looks like Stroman might get his wish after all.
Stroman will likely replace Luis Gil in the Yankees’ rotation after the latter recently suffered a shoulder injury. Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Friday that Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, will have an MRI on Saturday.
“You know you’re going to face some attrition somewhere,” Boone said.
“Hopefully, it’s not something too serious [with Gil], but it also feels like something that’s going to cost us some time there,” Boone added, according to the Yankees’ official website. “We’ll see what we have.”
So much for Stroman, who totaled a 4.31 ERA in 30 games (29 starts) last season, opening the season as a reliever.
Stroman reported to camp after a brief holdout and told reporters he didn’t see himself as a reliever. The Yankees intended to use Stroman, a two-time All-Star, out of the bullpen after signing ex-Atlanta Braves star Max Fried.
Selfishly, Stroman should hope he makes the rotation and Gil doesn’t return anytime soon. The Yankees owe Stroman $18 million this season, and he’d guarantee himself another $18 million for 2026 if he pitches 140 innings.
Stroman threw 154.2 innings last year. He has never been a full-time reliever in the majors.
Alternatively, the Yankees could turn to Carlos Carrasco or Will Warren as potential Gil replacements. Carrasco, the longtime Cleveland Guardians workhorse, is in camp on a minor-league deal after going 6-18 with an ugly 6.18 ERA the last two seasons.
Warren went 0-3 and recorded a dreadful 10.32 ERA in six games (five starts) last year. However, he opened spring training with seven strikeouts in five scoreless innings.