Most of the recent pitching news with the New York Yankees has involved starters going on the injured list. Ryan Yarbrough was the latest, sidelined with a right oblique strain.
However, the Yankees will get a starting pitcher back on Sunday with Marcus Stroman returning to the rotation against the Athletics. Stroman has been on the IL since mid-April with left knee inflammation, but just completed three starts on a minor-league rehab assignment.
After throwing a side session on Friday with no difficulties, Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced that Stroman would start on Sunday.
“He’s mostly built up and he feels ready to go,” Boone told reporters, via MLB.com. “Hopefully, he represents that when we go out there [Sunday].”
Stroman didn’t put up impressive numbers during his rehab assignment, compiling a 6.97 ERA. In his final rehab start for Double-A Somerset on Tuesday, he allowed five runs, 10 hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings. That performance, coupled with Stroman struggling before he went on the IL, has some Yankees observers concerned about what sort of contribution the 11-year veteran can provide.
Yet Stroman insists he feels good and appeared to imply that his results will be better with the urgency of pitching in the majors, rather than recovering in the minors.
“I’m just making sure the knee’s moving well, body’s feeling good, arm’s feeling good,” Stroman said, via MLB.com. “I’m someone who definitely needs the intensity to turn it back up, so I’m looking forward to getting back out there.”
Stroman also explained that he altered his mechanics during his rehab assignment to lessen the stress on his left knee.
In his previous three starts this season, Stroman collected an 11.57 ERA with 12 hits and seven walks allowed in 9 1/3 innings. This was after his spot in the starting rotation was in question during spring training.
At the time, Stroman insisted pitching out of the bullpen was not an option. But with Gerrit Cole undergoing Tommy John surgery and Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt beginning the season on the IL, Stroman basically won a starting role by default.
Stroman being activated means Allan Winans will be sent back down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Winans got a spot start on Monday after compiling an 0.90 ERA in 11 minor-league starts. But he was battered for four runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings versus the Cincinnati Reds.
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