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- Max Goodman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
CLEVELAND — Don’t expect Marcus Stroman to return from the injured list when he’s eligible later this month.
It could be a while until the right-hander is pitching in a Yankees uniform again.
Stroman, who was placed on the IL with left knee inflammation on April 12, is still “feeling some things in there,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Monday’s series opener against the Guardians at Progressive Field.
“I know there’s probably some nerve stuff in there that was irritating him a little bit,” Boone said. “We’ll continue to work to try and get him physically where he needs to be, and then hopefully start building him back up.”
It’s too early to say definitively, of course, but it’s looking more and more like Stroman won’t reach the innings threshold necessary to trigger another year (at $18.5 million) on his current contract. He needs to throw 140 innings this year to get that extra season of control, otherwise he’s headed to the open market.
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With the starting pitching injuries the Yankees were bombarded with in spring training — Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery), Luis Gil (lat strain), Clarke Schmidt (right rotator cuff tendonitis) — the door was open for a healthy and effective Stroman to stick around in the rotation for an extended stretch, maybe even the entire year.
Stroman ended up struggling mightily over his first three outings. He raised his ERA up to 11.57 when he gave up five earned runs and didn’t make it out of the first inning against the Giants at Yankee Stadium on April 11. Stroman was moved to the IL the next day, a stint that coincided with Schmidt’s return, so the Yankees didn’t need to dip into their depth to fill his spot.
Boone sounded encouraged that Stroman would be able to ramp back up quickly after he got a cortisone shot in his knee. He’s still hopeful, but the more time Stroman misses, the longer it will take for him to ramp up and be ready to start at the big-league level.
The total for Tuesday’s Yankees versus Guardians game is set at 8.5 over on FanDuel. Our comprehensive FanDuel Sportsbook review shows you how to sign up and use their platform.
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