One Stat Shows How Poorly New York Yankees Pitcher Was Performing Before IL Stint

Before hitting the injured list, a New York Yankees pitcher was performing at shockingly low levels in one statistic.

Mar 30, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

New York Yankees veteran pitcher Marcus Stroman did himself no favors with the comments he made early in spring training.

When asked about what his role would be with the team, given the depth the team had added to their starting rotation, he was adamant that he was a starting pitcher. Coming out of the bullpen was not something he was willing to do.

Ultimately, that wasn’t a decision the Yankees had to make because the rash of injuries they suffered forced Stroman into a prominent role on the Opening Day rotation.

With ace Gerrit Cole, reigning American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt all on the injured list, it was Stroman who assumed the No. 3 role behind Opening Day starter Carlos Rodon and Max Fried, who was signed in free agency away from the Atlanta Braves.

He struggled in his season debut against the Milwaukee Brewers, surrendering five hits and one walk, resulting in three earned runs, in 4.2 innings of work.

A 5.79 ERA is far from ideal, but things only got worse for the veteran over his next two starts against the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants.

Stroman’s ERA now sits at 11.57. He has walked as many batters as he has struck out with seven apiece. 12 hits have been recorded against him along with 12 earned runs.

It has been a disastrous start to the campaign, with the team placing him on the injured list retroactive to April 12 because of knee discomfort.

A recent update shared by manager Aaron Boone did not paint a great picture for the veteran righty, as he is reportedly still feeling something in his ailing knee. The odds of him returning from the 15-day injured list when first eligible is bleak, with this trending toward being more than a minimum stay.

It is smart for New York to give him as much time as he needs to heal. They may have starting pitching issues right now, but throwing a player out on the mound who isn’t 100 percent healthy isn’t going to help the cause.

Espcially when that player is performing at essentially the same level as a backup catcher who pitched in mopup duty of a blowout.

As shared by @papa_cole45 on X, Stroman’s four-seam fastball registered a tjStuff+ of 85 at points this year. That is only four points better than former Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, who made a relief appearance for the Baltimore Orioles in a 24-2 blowout loss to the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend.

The sample size is incredible tiny and pitch tracking is difficult for positional players taking one for the team in a lopsided game.

But, it goes to show just how much Stroman was struggling coming into the regular season. He was performing well below league average and counting on him to eat up innings at the Major League level was a risk.

Unfortunately for New York, they didn’t have any other options to turn to. Injuries are tough to overcome and their other fill-ins, Carlos Carrasco and Will Warren, have struggled as well trying to replace the production that was lost.