SF Giants may have put Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman's offseason proclamation to bed

As spring training got underway, New York Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman reiterated that he views himself as a starting pitcher. Well, the SF Giants tagged the veteran pitcher for five runs in the first inning of Friday's game, potentially putting that bold proclamation to an end.

SF Giants may have put Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman's offseason proclamation to bed

The question for Stroman came up because he was much lower on the depth chart at the start of the spring. He stressed again and again that he was a starter and rejected the idea of a different role, simply stating that he "won't pitch in the bullpen."

Injuries paved the way for Stroman to work his way back into the rotation. Gerrit Cole, Lucas Gil, and Clarke Schmidt went down with an injury before the season began. In the case of Cole and Gil, they are expected to miss considerable time due to Tommy John surgery and a lat strain, respectively.

This has opened the door for Stroman and Carlos Carrasco. Stroman had a down year in 2024, posting a 4.31 ERA in 30 outings before being left off the playoff roster. He entered this season with a chip on his shoulder, and has an opportunity to prove he can still stick as a starter.

That experiment might be hanging by a thread at this point. The 11-year veteran had a 7.27 ERA through his first two starts. It would not take much for that ERA to go down, but it ballooned up to 11.57 ERA after allowing five earned runs while recording just two outs against the Giants.

The Yankees do not have many other alternatives at this point, so they may be in a position where they need to continue running Stroman out there. However, his tenure in New York is entering a weird phase if and when the rotation returns to strength. Of course, this will not include Cole in 2025, as he is expected to miss the entire year.

Stroman has not looked like much of a starter during his time with the Yankees, and he has expressed no desire to pitch out of the bullpen. The 33-year-old pitcher is in the second year of a two-year, $37 million pact. This does include a conditional player option for 2026 if he reaches 140 innings this season.

The Yankees likely do not want to see this happen, and would not need to get creative to prevent this from happening given how Stroman has pitched. He has completed just 9.1 innings through three starts.

Stroman may continue to see time in the rotation, but his best days look to be behind him. In hindsight, his bold proclamation that he is still a starter looks to be false just two weeks into the season.