The Yankees are rolling the dice this weekend, sending Marcus Stroman to the mound against the Oakland Athletics on Sunday.
It’s a move that feels more like a leap of blind faith than a calculated decision, especially given Stroman’s recent outings.
Sometimes baseball is like trying to start a car on a freezing winter morning — you keep turning the key, hoping something finally clicks.
That’s where the Yankees seem to be with Stroman right now, and it’s a risky bet.
Stroman’s ugly rehab starts raise big red flags
Stroman has done little to inspire confidence since beginning his rehab assignment in AA with the Somerset Patriots.
He carries a brutal 6.97 ERA over just 10.1 innings, with his last outing against Detroit’s AA affiliate being particularly alarming.
In that game, Stroman gave up 10 hits and five earned runs in only 3.2 innings, looking completely out of sync and struggling to miss bats.
It’s hard to justify why Aaron Boone believes Stroman is ready for major league action, unless it’s purely to steal rest for others.
The Yankees’ rotation could certainly use an extra day here and there, but relying on Stroman in this state seems borderline reckless.
His major league numbers don’t inspire much hope either
Even before he landed on the injured list, Stroman wasn’t fooling many hitters in a Yankees uniform this season.
He’s posted an ugly 11.57 ERA over just 9.1 big-league innings, a small sample that still screams caution.
Last year, he finished with a 4.31 ERA across 154.2 innings, which was serviceable but hardly the dominance the Yankees were hoping to see.
The concern is that Stroman’s velocity has dipped and his once reliable arsenal isn’t generating swings and misses like it used to.
That’s the kind of combination that leads to loud contact and crooked numbers on the scoreboard.
Why Boone might be making this questionable call anyway
To be fair, there is a practical side to this. The Yankees have leaned heavily on their rotation lately and might just want to buy everyone else a breather.
Letting Stroman take the ball against a last-place team like the A’s might be seen as the safest possible spot to try and rebuild his confidence.
Still, it feels like rolling dice you know are weighted against you, hoping sheer randomness can bail you out.
And if Stroman falters badly, it could force the bullpen into early damage control — the last thing this team needs.
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This could be Stroman’s final shot in pinstripes
If Stroman turns in another rough performance, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Yankees cut ties completely.
They simply can’t afford to keep handing opportunities to a veteran with declining stuff when they’re trying to fend off the Rays in the AL East.
There’s also the fact that New York has younger arms showing more promise, and they can’t keep waiting forever for Stroman to figure it out.
This start may very well decide Stroman’s fate with the Yankees, and that makes Sunday a high-stakes audition. More likely than not, Aaron Boone will give him a few chances to reclaim his value.
Chances are, he’s going to struggle, and the Yankees need to make the easy decision.
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