New York Yankees right-hander Marcus Stroman rejected the notion of pitching out of the bullpen this season after reporting to camp on Friday in Tampa, Florida.
Stroman is not projected to make the Yankees’ starting rotation — and he does not agree.
“I’m a starter,” Stroman said repeatedly. “I won’t pitch in the bullpen. I’m a starter. I’m a starter.”
Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images
Stroman opted against participating in workouts over the previous two days after undergoing his physical on Tuesday.
“At this stage in my career, I put a priority on getting my body ready. I don’t think there was a need for me to be here the last few days, given the climate,” he said.
Stroman also addressed the potential of being traded away from New York.
“I’m so grounded at this point. Nothing can really faze me,” he said of the trade rumors. “I know who I am as a pitcher. I can compete at any level with any team. If I’m here, if I’m not here, my body is ready to roll. I’m ready to go out there and give 30-plus starts.”
With Stroman in mind, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked by reporters about the possibility of using a six-man rotation this season.
“Never say never. I mean, I don’t necessarily see us doing that, but we’ll see where we’re at,” Boone said.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had no qualms with Stroman’s comments.
“That’s vintage Stro. He’s a competitor. And I agree with him, he is a starter,” Cashman said. “Let’s just see how everything plays out.”
Stroman, 34 in May, signed with the Yankees ahead of last year’s campaign and made 29 starts among his 30 appearances in the regular season. He went 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA, recording 113 strikeouts and 60 walks across 154 2/3 innings.
New York did not call on Stroman to pitch in the playoffs, when the Yankees advanced to the World Series before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.
Since then, the Yankees signed free agent left-hander Max Fried, and their starting rotation for this year appears to feature Gerrit Cole and Fried at the top, followed by Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil, last year’s American League Rookie of the Year. The Yankees also traded Nestor Cortes to Milwaukee this offseason to acquire closer Devin Williams.
Stroman has a career record of 87-85 with two saves, two shutouts, a 3.72 ERA and 1,204 strikeouts in 261 appearances (252 starts) for the Toronto Blue Jays (2014 to 2019), New York Mets (2019, 2021), Chicago Cubs (2022 to 2023) and Yankees.
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