Yankees veteran starter not progressing as hoped

Ten days ago, Marcus Stroman’s start against the Giants looked more like a nightmare than a baseball game. The right-hander didn’t make it out of the first inning, surrendering five runs and leaving the mound at Yankee Stadium with a dismal line. The very next day, the New York Yankees placed him on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his left knee — a frustrating development, but perhaps a chance to hit the reset button.

A Pause That Might Stretch Longer Than Expected

Yankees manager Aaron Boone recently shared that Stroman is “still feeling some things” in the knee, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post.

Translation: this doesn’t look like a quick pit stop. While the original IL stint was expected to be short, it’s sounding more like Stroman might be out longer than initially hoped.

The Yankees, desperate for consistency on the mound, now face a puzzle that Stroman himself may not immediately fit back into.

The Rotation Isn’t Perfect — But It’s Moving Forward

It’s not exactly a Cy Young candidate buffet, but the Yankees’ rotation is doing its best to hold the line. Carlos Rodón is finally finding a groove, Clarke Schmidt has re-entered the fold, and Max Fried is acting as the glue keeping things from falling apart.

Even with Carlos Carrasco and Will Warren seesawing between solid and shaky, there’s at least enough stability for the Yankees to think twice about rearranging things just to squeeze Stroman back in.

Stroman’s Uphill Climb

It’s not just about being healthy — Stroman has to perform. So far this season, he’s pitched just 9.1 innings and owns a ghastly 11.57 ERA. That’s less a slump and more a freefall.

The Yankees can’t afford to hand out opportunities based on name recognition when every game counts, especially in a loaded AL East.

Right now, Stroman’s priority is straightforward: get that knee right. The rest — a spot in the rotation, a chance to prove himself again — will have to wait until he can stand on solid ground, both physically and performance-wise.