"I'm a starter. I won't pitch in the bullpen. I'm a starter."
That was a quote from New York Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman a few months ago when asked about his role on the Yankees. No mincing words here!
The on-field results, three starts into the season, aren't matching Stroman's confidence. He's thrown 9.1 innings and given up 12 earned runs for an ERA of 11.57. He hasn't gotten through five innings in any of his starts, and his most recent start on Friday against the Giants lasted less than an inning before Aaron Boone was forced to pull Stroman before fans even settled into their seats.
Marcus Stroman has time to turn things around, but Yankees fans aren't hopeful
Typical MLB starters throw about 30 times a year if they stay healthy the entire season. Stroman has thrown three times. They've all been bad, for the record... but it's still three starts. So, sure, there's time for a renaissance for the veteran righty — but Yankees fans aren't too confident in a mid-season turnaround because Stroman was pretty rough last year, too. He put up his worst WAR, ERA, ERA+ and WHIP since 2019 last season and he hasn't instilled confidence of a bounceback through two weeks in 2025.
How to move forward with Marcus Stroman
Well... the team will probably have to ask him again if he'll come out of the bullpen. All athletes are supremely confident — sometimes to a fault, sometimes to their benefit — but Stroman surely won't be delusional enough to think he should keep a starting spot if he keeps pitching like this. Sitting him down and telling him that he can help the team more by transitioning to the bullpen might be a necessary conversation.
He's still an arm, and arms are valuable in the MLB. He's been good in the past, and I don't think he's completely unplayable right now if put in the right situation... like a medium-leverage reliever spot.
Plus, Yanks starter Clarke Schmidt is about to return from the IL, so New York wouldn't have to find another starter to fill his spot; they'd just have to run a five-man rotation instead of six. It's not the ideal scenario for Aaron Boone's club, but it's probably the most logical if Stroman keeps stumbling every time he takes the mound.
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