While the New York Yankees situation with right-hander Marcus Stroman wasn’t exactly perfect during spring training and much of the offseason, with the team looking to trade him, there’s no debate that the Yankees want him back and healthy.
Despite some of the issues they both face, the Yankees would never wish ill on a player, and Stroman could help him out right now.
However, according to a report from NJ.com, it still remains uncertain when he will return. Stroman, currently out with left knee inflammation, doesn’t have an expected return date.
“Stroman had a setback last Friday experiencing more discomfort with his knee during a live BP, so what the Yankees thought may be a quick return now figures to drag for another month or longer. And that’s best case,” Randy Miller wrote.
What’s the Latest on Yankees’ Marcus Stroman?
Skipper Aaron Boone spoke about the injury recently with NJ.com, saying that the New York Yankees can’t get over the final hump. For Stroman to get back on the mound, the Yankees need him to be fully healthy. Until that happens, it doesn’t seem like the Yankees will take any chances and put the right-hander back in a position not to succeed.
“He’s got a lot of treatments on it and he just can’t get over that final hump to really allow him to get to that next level on the mound,” Boone said. “We’ll try and continue to get our arms around it and make sure we get that (knee soreness) out of there.”
When Stroman was on the mound for the Yankees, it wasn’t like he was throwing the baseball at a high level. If anything, Stroman was one of the worst starters in baseball, posting an 11.57 ERA and striking out just seven hitters in his 9.1 innings of work.
In his final start, which was against the San Francisco Giants on April 11, he allowed five earned runs, a home run, and walked three in just 0.2 innings.
“Certainly his last start, I think he just couldn’t really step on that front side like you need to,” Boone said. “I talk about these guys that are like race cars — a little thing off, it can affect just that last level of command or that last level of extra stuff that you need.”
“Again, we’ll continue to try and get him where we need to.”
Marcus Stroman Needs to Improve to Stay With the Yankees
If and when he does return, the New York Yankees will need him to be much better. Perhaps there’s a scenario where they get rid of him at the deadline, but this injury doesn’t help.
After trade rumors all offseason, the Yankees’ pitching staff has been derailed by injuries. For now, Stroman and the Yankees have a reason to continue this relationship beyond the deadline.
While things didn’t go as planned during the offseason, it’s important to remember the type of competitor that Stroman is. He has no reason not to take his rehab as seriously as possible, as he’s one of the top competitors in baseball. He wants to pitch, and when he’s ready, that’s exactly what he’ll do.
