The Yankees are planning to activate right-hander Marcus Stroman to start Sunday’s game against the Athletics, as manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Larry Fleisher of the Associated Press) last night. Stroman has been on the 15-day injured list since mid-April due to a knee injury. As Stroman has remained on the 40-man roster and right-hander Allan Winans was optioned to Triple-A following the club’s game this afternoon, no additional corresponding moves will be necessary to activate Stroman tomorrow.
Stroman, 34, signed with the Yankees on a two-year guarantee that came with a third-year vesting option prior to the 2024 campaign. Coming off a three-year run with the Mets and Cubs where he pitched to a 3.45 ERA (120 ERA+) with a 3.60 FIP and earned the second All-Star appearance of his career, Stroman seemed like a solid mid-rotation veteran addition for the Bronx Bombers when he signed for $37MM guaranteed. Unfortunately, his work last year wound up being fairly pedestrian. His 154 2/3 innings of work marked his highest total since 2021, but he posted a 4.31 ERA (95 ERA+) and lackluster peripherals. He struck out a career-low 16.7% of batters, posted an 8.9% walk rate near his career high, and generated ground balls at a clip below 50% (49.2%) for the first time in his career.
Those red flags led the Yankees to explore shedding Stroman’s salary this offseason, but they were unable to find a deal. That led to the possibility of Stroman starting the season in the bullpen after the club signed Max Fried earlier in the winter—something Stroman seemed to push back against upon arriving at Spring Training. Injuries to Luis Gil and Gerrit Cole soon opened a path to a rotation job for the veteran, but he struggled badly in three starts, allowing 12 runs in 9 1/3 innings before landing on the injured list. Now, ten weeks removed from his last big league outing, Stroman is ticketed for another shot in New York’s rotation.
It’s unclear how long Stroman will have the opportunity to stick as a starter. Cole will miss the entire 2025 season, but both Gil and Ryan Yarbrough are expected to return from the injured list this year and could move ahead of Stroman in the pecking order unless he turns things around. With the trade deadline just over a month away, the Yankees could also seek to reinforce their injury-riddled rotation, making Stroman’s upcoming starts crucial if he hopes to remain in the rotation. Notably, he appears more open to a potential role change since declaring himself a starter back in February.
Making room for Stroman on the active roster figures to be Winans, who allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks while striking out two in today’s 7-0 loss to the Athletics. It was his second outing of the year for the big league Yankees after allowing four runs in 4 1/3 innings during a start earlier this week. He’s now headed back to Triple-A, where he has dominated with a 0.90 ERA over 50 innings. Winans figures to be leaned on again this season if the Yankees need a spot starter or long reliever.