As Aaron Boone prepared for Saturday’s game against the A’s, he was asked what he would like to see from Marcus Stroman’s return to the rotation on Sunday.
“A good outing,” the Yankees skipper said with a smile.
While that’s always the hope, recent results suggest achieving that will be easier said than done for Stroman.
The 34-year-old has had a rough year, recording an 11.57 ERA over three early-season starts before being sidelined by left knee inflammation. Now the right-hander is coming off a rehab assignment that saw him record a 6.97 ERA over 10.1 innings and three starts at Double-A Somerset.
Stroman’s final rehab outing on June 24 was particularly poor, as he totaled 10 hits, five earned runs, two walks and one strikeout over 3.2 innings.
Boone acknowledged that that start “wasn’t great” on a “smoking hot day,” but the manager felt the first two rehab games went well. Stroman allowed three earned runs, walked three and struck out eight over 6.2 innings in those two starts.
On Saturday, Stroman downplayed his numbers in the minors, saying he was focused on feel during his assignment.
“Just making sure the knee’s moving well, body’s feeling good, arm’s feeling good, getting built up,” Stroman said. “It’s more just the process. I’m someone who definitely needs the intensity to turn it on, so I’m looking forward to getting back out there.”
On Sunday, feel for his pitches will be of the utmost importance for Stroman. That’s because he lacks velocity — his go-to sinker averages 89.7 mph — and his Stuff+ ranks fourth-worst among pitchers who have thrown at least 160 innings since the start of 2024.
Stuff+ is a metric that measures the physical characteristics of pitches. The average big league sinker, meanwhile, is 94 mph.
Boone acknowledged that location will be key for Stroman, who can no longer attack hitters head-on at this stage of his career.
“He’s gotta command it,” Boone said. “That’s the biggest thing, is being where he wants on the plate, having a presence on both sides of the plate. Can’t just live one side.”
With Stroman fairly built up — he threw 63 pitches in his last rehab start — Boone said he will also keep an eye on the shapes of his arsenal, which also includes slurves, cutters, sliders, four-seamers, splitters and curveballs. However, it won’t matter how many offerings Stroman has at his disposal if he can’t pinpoint pitches that don’t move like they used to.
Stroman, meanwhile, will keep an eye on his knee.
The joint feels better than it did when Stroman went on the injured list in April, but the problem, which he believes stems from him tearing his ACL 10 years ago, will continue to require maintenance. He feels he’s learned how to take care of its soreness properly in recent months with the help of his personal trainer, Nikki Huffman, and he’s worked to make it so that his mechanics put less stress on his knee.
“It’s something that I’ve always dealt with, and it’s something that just is what it is at this point,” Stroman said.
While his knee will remain a factor, Stroman is looking forward to retaking the mound after a few tumultuous months.
He struggled mightily in the second half last season, wasn’t asked to pitch in the playoffs, and spent the offseason subjected to trade rumors. He also insisted that he would not pitch out of the bullpen in spring training despite being sixth on the Yankees’ rotation depth chart at the time.
Now the two-time All-Star’s hope is to show that he’s still a viable big league starter.
“I feel good,” Stroman said. “I feel great. Excited to get back out there. It’s been a process. Just excited to get back with the team and get back around the guys and competing.”
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