New York Yankees right-hander Marcus Stroman will miss his next scheduled start and will instead be available to pitch out of the bullpen on Sunday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced on Friday. This decision was reported by MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
The Yankees’ move reduces their rotation from six starters to five, with Boone suggesting that the team might continue with this adjusted rotation next week. However, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News, Stroman’s shift to the bullpen is not expected to be permanent.
This adjustment mirrors a similar decision involving Nestor Cortes, who was moved to the bullpen for a game against the Chicago Cubs on September 7. Cortes, who is scheduled to start his next game, pitched in relief after Clarke Schmidt began that contest. Cortes expressed dissatisfaction with the switch despite performing well in the game.
Stroman has shown no signs of discontent with his new role. “Stro has been so good for us and so good in the room,” Boone said, according to Hoch. “He’s all about that team in there and all about the guys in there. Basically, his message to me is, ‘Whatever you need, and I’ll be ready to go.’ I think he just wants to be part of a winner.”
In his first season with the Yankees, Stroman has maintained a 4.07 ERA over 148 1/3 innings. However, his performance in the second half of the season has not matched his earlier results.
| SPLITS | 1ST HALF | 2ND HALF |
| ERA | 3.51 | 5.40 |
| OPP BA | .237 | .332 |
| WHIP | 1.32 | 1.69 |
The Yankees’ rotation now includes Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil, along with Clarke Schmidt, and Nestor Cortes.
