Veteran Starter’s Future With Yankees In Doubt, Insider Says

After three poor starts that amounted to a dreadful 11.57 ERA, however, a knee injury landed the veteran on the injured list, and he doesn’t seem close to returning. The injury means he almost certainly won’t reach the 140 innings needed to trigger his $18 million player option for 2026. That could help the Yankees finally move him if he ever proves he is healthy. 

But the question is where he would fit in the Yankees’ rotation, which has quietly adjusted itself without him. 

Clarke Schmidt returned from the IL, Will Warren has pitched much better, and Ryan Yarbrough has been more than steady as the No. 5 starter. Luis Gil is edging closer to a July return. And there’s even JT Brubaker, a low-key project who’s been in the Yankees’ plans since last season while rehabbing Tommy John surgery and recovering from a fractured rib. His current 30-day rehab assignment wraps June 16, meaning the Yankees have to activate him to the major league or minor league roster by then.

"Put all that together, plus the likelihood the Yankees trade for a starter in July, and the key question for the rest of the year is: Will Stroman ever pitch for the Yankees again? Never say never. Injury and/or poor performance could create an opening. But with the 2026 option no longer a factor, it is possible the Yankees could trade him and take back a bad salary, eat dollars, or just release him," Sherman wrote. 

Stroman, it turned out, was on the Yankees' charter to Colorado and threw a bullpen session Saturday morning. He told NJ.com's Randy Miller the knee feels good. Boone told Miller they want to get Stroman to the point where he can start facing live batters. 

After that, who knows what will happen with Stroman and the Yankees?