Marcus Stroman Sends Message After Yankees Release

With reigning American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil returning from the injured list for his season debut on Sunday against the Miami Marlins, the New York Yankees knew they'd have to remove one of their five starters from the rotation.

With Max Fried, Carlos Rodón and Will Warren rather firmly entrenched while Cam Schlittler has shown signs of potentially developing into a frontline option, the Yankees decided to release two-time All-Star Marcus Stroman amidst a disappointing 2025 campaign.

In nine outings and 39 innings for the club this season, he posted a 6.23 ERA and 26 strikeouts. The 34-year-old had turned in four straight solid starts for New York upon being activated off the injured list on June 29, but he gave up a combined eight earned runs over 8 1/3 frames in his final two starts on July 26 and July 31.

After receiving the news, Stroman took to his Instagram story on Saturday and posted a picture on a plane with the caption, "Adios".

Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who stated that he and Stroman will likely keep in contact "for the rest of our lives", provided some rationale behind the team's decision to release the veteran right-hander.

"We feel like Warren and Schlittler are ready to be in the rotation full time," Boone said, per NJ.com's Max Goodman. "Felt like with some more moves probably coming over the next few days, at least, felt like the timing was right."

Stroman signed a two-year deal worth $37 million with New York ahead of the 2024 campaign. He logged a 4.31 ERA in 154 2/3 innings last year and did not pitch during the playoffs.

Stroman would've had the opportunity to pick up a player option worth $18 million for the 2026 campaign had he thrown 140 innings this season, but he doesn't have a shot to reach that number after landing on the IL with a knee injury in April.

He'll now look to sign with another contender in need of starting pitching help down the stretch.

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