The New York Yankees won on Saturday to gain a half game lead in the AL East. The 8-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants was keyed by the performance of rookie starter Will Warren and a five-run fifth inning. After the victory, Yankees manager Aaron Boone discussed the placement of starting pitcher Marcus Stroman on the IL with knee inflammation. Boone hopes that Stroman will only be away from the team for a short time, in a clip posted by Yankees Videos on X, formerly Twitter.
“Aaron Boone on Marcus Stroman being placed on IL: ‘The hope is that it's not something too serious and that we can attack this,'” posted the Yankees-dedicated on the social media platform.
Both the Yankees' organization and its fans indeed hope that the stint will be a short one for Stroman, as they are down to four starting pitchers on the major league roster now. Warren is one. Max Fried and Carlos Rodon, two recent high-priced free agent signings, are two more. Veteran pickup Carlos Carrasco is the fourth. In the short term this can work to an extent. However, for a Yankees team that wants to make it back to the World Series, the sooner they can get Stroman and other injured rotation members back, the better.
How will Aaron Boone, Yankees fill Marcus Stroman's rotation spot?
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Even after losing superstar Juan Soto to the New York Mets in free agency, it feels like the Yankee offense picked up right where it left off last season. New acquisitions Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger have gotten off to solid starts in pinstripes. Bellinger knocked in the go-ahead runs to start the fifth inning rally on Saturday. Goldschmidt knocked in a couple of runs as well, as the Bronx Bombers lived up their monikers.
Yet, pitching remains a question mark. Fried has been steady, while Warren has improved with each start. Carrasco is getting by with guile and veteran craftiness, but it's working. Rodon has been up and down once again, but he is also eating innings. So, it's a start. Can Boone and GM Brian Cashman bring in reinforcements, sooner rather than later? If not, then the team will continue to cross their fingers for not only Stroman's quick return, but for Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt's as well.
