Marcus Stroman will not make his next start as scheduled.
He was originally supposed to pitch against the Angels on Thursday. But with rain forcing the Yankees to shuffle their pitching plans for a Wednesday doubleheader and Stroman struggling for an extended stretch, the right-hander’s next start will come against the Rangers on Sunday.
On Wednesday, Aaron Boone said that the Yankees’ desire to avoid altering the schedules of multiple starting pitchers factored into that decision. The doubleheader already forced Nestor Cortes to push his next turn from Wednesday to Thursday, but Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole will stay on schedule with Friday and Saturday starts, respectively.
However, Boone added that he “felt like there would be some benefit in Stro having a couple of bullpens to work through some things.”
Boone said that Stroman focused on his mechanics during a bullpen session on Tuesday. The pitcher was not happy with his mechanics after his last start on Friday.
“I’m just very out of sync,” Stroman said after allowing seven earned runs over 2.2 innings against the Blue Jays. “Everything’s not fluid right now. So it feels very different pitch to pitch.”
Stroman said that his mechanics could be contributing to the drop in velocity he’s experienced this season. While not a power pitcher by any means, his four-seam fastball averaged 92 mph last season. This year, that number is just 89.8 after he averaged 88.8 mph against Toronto.
However, Stroman said he’s not worried about the decrease. Neither is Boone.
“I’m not too concerned about it,” the manager said. “[I] pay attention to it. But no, I’ve felt like he’s in a pretty good place right now as far as some of the things he’s been working through and some of the things [on] video that he’s looked at, and then how his bullpen went yesterday. So no, not too concerned. And physically, he feels good.”
Stroman added that he’s healthy after his last start.
Regardless, the first-year Yankee has not pitched well in quite some time. Stroman had a 2.60 ERA over 12 starts prior to June, but he’s got a mark of 6.32 in his last 10 starts.
He also hasn’t completed four innings in two straight outings, a span that’s seen him surrender 10 earned runs and 17 hits over six frames.
“I’m not sure to be honest, but I’m gonna figure it out,” Stroman said when asked what is off. “I feel like I’ve been in situations like this before. So I always have the confidence to come out of it. It’s been a rough last few starts.”
Signed over the offseason to be a dependable No. 3 starter, it’s fair to say Stroman would not be in the Yankees’ rotation if the playoffs began today. While there is still time for him to turn things around, Stroman has also positioned himself as the odd man out when Clarke Schmidt returns from a lat injury.
Schmidt and the Yankees are hoping that happens before the end of August.
“He was throwing ball with a lot of the better guys in the league,” Boone said Tuesday. “He’s been that good for us. We’ve seen Clarke get better and better every year. I think the product we were seeing the first couple of months this year was even another step for him. So we feel like we’re getting a really impactful pitcher back once he is able to come back.”
WALKING JUDGE
A few days removed from the Blue Jays intentionally walking Aaron Judge multiple times, Boone said he hasn’t given much thought to whether MLB should change the rules regarding automatic free passes.
He also said that other teams could certainly replicate Toronto’s strategy with Judge in the midst of another MVP-type season.
“I don’t know that it’s a one-off, but I know other teams won’t take that approach,” Boone said. “It just depends probably club to club, series to series, how they’re viewing our hitters, if a guy’s hot or those kind of things.”
Boone also said that he’s thought about flip-flopping Juan Soto and Judge in the Nos. 2 and 3 spots. But that’s not something the skipper is ready to do, as he doesn’t want to upset a good thing.
Boone also said that he’s considered moving Soto and Judge up to the Nos. 1 and 2 spots, but he “probably wouldn’t necessarily go that route.”
“But never say never,” Boone added.
RIZZO WEEKS AWAY
Boone said that Anthony Rizzo (broken arm) is “getting closer to being part of that mix” for the Yankees at first base, but the veteran is “at least a few weeks off.”
“So we’ll just continue to gather information and try and get Rizz right,” Boone continued. “Look forward to having that decision.”
It will be interesting to see what the Yankees do when Rizzo is cleared. The 34-year-old was having another down season prior to his injury and can be a free agent at the end of the year. However, he’s also a highly-regarded presence in the clubhouse.
With Rizzo out, Ben Rice, a natural catcher, has done a solid job at first. DJ LeMahieu has also been spending time there.
DAVIS JOINS DIVISION RIVAL
The Orioles are signing J.D. Davis, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. The Yankees recently released the infielder after he hit .105 over seven games with the club.
