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Former Toronto Blue Jays Ace Shockingly Left Off New York Yankees Playoff Roster

What is going on with Marcus Stroman?

Brady Farkas

New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on Sept 10.
New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on Sept 10. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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The New York Yankees open up the American League Division Series on Saturday night against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium.

And when the Yankees take the field, they'll do so without pitcher Marcus Stroman, who was shockingly left off the roster.

Stroman went 10-9 this season for the Yankees, pitching to a 4.31 ERA. The 33-year-old Long Island native made 30 appearances with 29 starts. The Yankees have the ability to start Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt in the short five-game series, but it's still surprising to see someone as experienced as Stroman left off. He could have started a game or served as a long relief option. Furthermore, Nestor Cortes is out with injury, further limiting the options for manager Aaron Boone.

The 10-year veteran is 87-85 lifetime with a 3.72 ERA. Stroman is the former ace of the Toronto Blue Jays but has also pitched for the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs. He made the All-Star Game with Toronto in 2019 and Chicago in 2023.

Stroman made his debut with Toronto in 2014 and won double-digit games in two separate seasons with the Jays. He helped Toronto the ALCS in both the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

The Blue Jays traded him to the Mets in the 2019 season and then promptly made the playoffs in the COVID shortened 2020 season. They also made the playoffs in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

As for Stroman, he can get added to the Yankees roster in the case of injury. Should the Yankees advance to the ALCS, there will be a new roster put out.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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