New York Yankees Now in Precarious Position with Starting Pitcher Marcus Stroman

The right-hander has a vesting option for next season if he reaches 140 innings this season. With the injury now to Luis Gil, Stroman could very well hit that.

New York Yankees relief pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the eighth inning at T-Mobile Park in 2024. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees are in a precarious situation now in more ways than one.

First off, manager Aaron Boone announced on Monday that reigning American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is not going to throw for the next six weeks because of a high-grade lat strain. That's a big loss for the Yankees, who play in a loaded division and have goals of getting back to - and winning - the World Series.

NEWS: Luis Gil was diagnosed with a high-grade right lat strain, according to Aaron Boone. Gil will not throw for at least six weeks. pic.twitter.com/GvDvBttU8y

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 3, 2025

Second off, the Yankees will now likely turn to veteran starting pitcher Marcus Stroman. Ordinarily, having someone of Stroman's experience level would be a good thing, but in this case, it complicates things for New York.

Stroman, 33, is set to make $18.5 million this season and he has an $18 million vesting option for 2026 if he hits 140 innings this year. Given that Gil won't be in the rotation until at least May, Stroman will have a big time jumpstart on hitting that incentive, forcing the Yankees to likely have to pay that freight in 2026. Furthermore, when Gil comes back, Stroman will be virtually untradeable because other teams will not want to assume the risk that comes having to pay that money next year - and whatever remains this year. Stroman has said he doesn't want to go to the bullpen, but assuming full health from the rotation upon Gil's return, that's probably where he'll end up.

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

He helped Toronto to the ALCS in both the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He went 10-9 for the Yankees last season, but did not see any action in the postseason as the Yankees advanced to the World Series.

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