Northport, Fla. — For the first time since the spot was opened for him in the Yankees rotation, Marcus Stromann scored the mound on Sunday.
It hasn't changed much in Stroman's mind.
The veteran right-hander arrived at camp last month and declared he was a starter. This remains true and will likely remain that way to start the season when he enters the rotation of an injured Lewis Gill.
The Yankees were waiting for the team doctor to read the MRI that Gill had experienced on Saturday afternoon, but Stroman got off to another start after shortening the bullpen session on Friday due to tension around the shoulder.
He created a pitch count to 43 while working on three innings, but he was tagged with four runs (two home runs and two doubles) in a day when bread and butter sinkers weren't always sinking.
“Overall, I felt very good,” Stroman, who was brought deep into Austin Riley and Matt Olson, said during an 11-1 loss to the Braves at Coultre Day Park. “We just made some bad pitches that they capitalized, but it's definitely good to get the workload up, go third and then go into something like build from there.”
From the start, the Yankees claimed that Stroman's situation would work in the course of spring training after they couldn't trade him. It only took about three weeks to do so.
But this is not the way Gill and intimate Stroman wanted it.
“It's one of my peers,” Stroman said. “Lewis big fan. It's a sucker, guy. I don't even know what to say to put that into words. He was a big part of this team last year. It's an incredibly incredible season. You'll need him at some point to get where we want. Hopefully, not too bad. Hopefully, his recovery will go very well and we can get him back as fast as possible.
The Yankees will be lucky if they pass through the rest of the camp without any other injuries to their starting spin.
Looked particularly sharp throughout his first two outings, Will Warren approaches the next line of insurance.
However, Yankees usually prioritize maximizing the initial depth. That is, Warren seems likely to start the year with Triple A if everyone else is still healthy.
Gill was a key part of the success of last year's early season, and so was Stroman.
Part of a rotation that got off to a strong start without an injured Jerit Call, Stromann went 7-3 with a 3.15 ERA in his first 16 starts.
However, like when he was slowed down by an injury in 2023, Stromann ousted his tail late last year and pitched to 5.97 ERA on his final 14 outings (13 starts) before it was not used in the playoffs.
“I think maybe his one was the notch below the second half,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Then he was a bit unlucky with the play behind him. So, that little drop-off would probably hurt him a bit, as he's not a guy who overwhelms people with things. But I think in many ways he was very underrated last year. …There's no reason he can't be that for a year. I know that's his way of thinking. Hopefully that's what it is.”
General Manager Brian Cashman said last month that the Yankees defense defeated Stroman last season.
In theory, their improved infield unit this year should help Stroman guide many ground balls when he is at his best.
“I'm a guy in contact from the pitch, so things can be frustrating at the point,” Stroman said. “I want to win. I'm not just someone who wants to go there and make a move. Yeah, I ripe a bit from time to time, but that's my competitor.”
