Marcus Stroman heads to IL in another huge blow for Yankees rotation

The Yankees starting rotation, already a mess without the injured Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil and — for now — Clarke Schmidt, lost another arm Saturday when Marcus Stroman was placed on the 15-day IL with left knee inflammation.

The news came a day after the right-hander complained of soreness and went for X-rays following his ugly outing Friday night, when he retired just two batters.

It was another poor night for a rotation that has so far underwhelmed outside of Max Fried.

They entered Saturday with an MLB-worst 5.46 ERA, and that’s with Fried’s 1.56 ERA.

“We hope it’s not something too serious and we can attack this,” Aaron Boone said of the injury after the Yankees beat the Giants 8-4.

Marcus Stroman is heading to the IL.

The manager said they haven’t ruled out whether the knee issue might be “the source of some of the things with him not having been as sharp as he needs to be.”

Stroman has been perhaps the rotation’s biggest disappointment. He finished last year with a 5.70 ERA in his final 18 appearances (17 starts) and began this season with an 11.57 ERA in three starts.

He has an $18 million option that kicks in for 2026 if he pitches 140 innings this year.

Allan Winans was selected from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take Stroman’s place on the roster. Winans, 29, has a 7.20 ERA in eight career starts in the majors, all with Atlanta in 2023 and ’24.

He pitched 2 ²/₃ scoreless innings in relief in his only appearance with SWB this season. His addition filled out the 40-man roster.

Aaron Boone removes Marcus Stroman from game on April 11, 2025.

The Stroman news shines more of a spotlight on the return of Schmidt, sidelined with right rotator cuff tendinitis since the spring.

The right-hander said Saturday he felt ready to rejoin the rotation for his next start, which figures to come Tuesday or Wednesday against the Royals in The Bronx — potentially in Stroman’s spot.

Schmidt said he hadn’t been told of any plans regarding his next outing, but said he felt good in his rehab starts with Double-A Somerset, both physically and with his stuff.

“It’s obviously been frustrating,” Schmidt said of the injury that’s delayed his season debut. “I want to compete with my guys and don’t want [injuries] to happen. Competing every five days is something I hold close to my heart, making sure I’m able to do that, play at a high level consistently and be a guy they rely on.”

The issues with the rest of the rotation haven’t impacted his desire to get back.

“I have that sense of urgency regardless of how we’re doing or how anybody’s performing,” Schmidt said.