MIAMI — The Yankees have stopped trying to make Marcus Stroman happen.
Instead, they are putting their faith in the rookie right-hander at the back of their rotation.
A day after not landing a starting pitcher by Thursday’s trade deadline, the Yankees decided to subtract one by cutting Stroman, releasing the ineffective veteran from the roster and eating the $5-plus million left on his contract.
The move comes just two days before Luis Gil is set to return from the IL to make his season debut Sunday against the Marlins, and signals the Yankees’ confidence in rookie Cam Schlittler, who will keep his rotation spot instead of heading back to Triple-A.
“Obviously, that was tough today,” manager Aaron Boone said Friday at loanDepot Park before opening a series against the Marlins. “The perception around Stro, for us, did not meet the guy we got to be around the last couple years. He’s an awesome competitor.
“But yeah, I think it’s a case of we think [Will] Warren and Schlittler are ready to be in the rotation full-time. Just felt like with some more moves probably coming over the next few days at least, the timing was right.”
The Yankees needed to clear the last roster spot for the trio of relievers they acquired Thursday, so instead of getting rid of another reliever, they cut bait with Stroman two days before welcoming Gil back. Boone said the 34-year-old right-hander, who had a 6.23 ERA across nine starts around missing two and a half months with knee inflammation, took the news like a “pro.”
By ditching Stroman, who signed a two-year, $37 million contract ahead of the 2024 season, the Yankees are committing to giving Schlittler a longer run in the rotation. The hard-throwing right-hander has shown flashes of his potential in three starts as a big leaguer, pitching to a 4.91 ERA, though he seemed like a candidate to be sent back to Triple-A when Gil returned so the Yankees could keep the most starting depth.
Instead, they decided to bet on Schlittler’s upside over the final two months of the regular season.
“Obviously, it’s an unfortunate way to happen — Stro’s a great guy and I had some good conversations with him,” said Schlittler, who will start Saturday. “But at the end of the day, it’s a business. I’m just thankful they’re going to give me an opportunity to stay around and try to go compete and win games.
“In a sense, it’s definitely a confidence booster being able to go out there and be a little bit more comfortable with myself and understanding what they think about me as well. I’m excited to get the opportunity and meet those expectations.”
Schlittler called Thursday a “weird” day. He was a name clubs asked about when the Yankees were trying to acquire help for their bullpen, rotation and third base, which he tried to tune out as best he could. In the meantime, he saw plenty of his friends in the Yankees’ system traded away.
“I was just trying to stay away from it and hope I don’t get pulled aside and get told, ‘Hey you’re leaving,’ ” he said. “But overall, feel a lot better today than I did [Thursday].”
Beyond the trade rumors, he no longer has to worry about having in the back of his mind whether the results of that game could get him sent back to Triple-A. His leash is now longer, in part because the Yankees’ starting depth beyond him is paper-thin. They have Allan Winans at Triple-A, but he has struggled in a few spot appearances, while swingman Ryan Yarbrough is working his way back from an oblique strain, though he is still at least a few weeks away.
“In Toronto, you don’t know if this is gonna be the last one, depending on what they do,” Schlittler said. “Or even the other day, you don’t know if it’s gonna be the last one. I don’t think I let that affect my outing, but after, you definitely question it a little bit. At the end of the day, it’s not something I can control.
“I earned the right to be here and I think I have the opportunity now to stay and show I deserve to be here.”
