The 2025 season has been far from kind to Marcus Stroman, the starting pitcher for the New York Yankees. The two-time All-Star, who has been at the center of trade talks since the offseason began, has yet to find his groove on the mound, and his struggles have been compounded by a series of injuries.
Stroman entered the season with high expectations, but he has struggled to live up to them. In three starts, he has posted an abysmal 11.57 ERA, allowing 12 hits, 12 earned runs, and seven walks in just 9.1 innings pitched. His performance has been a major disappointment for the Yankees, who are counting on him to be a key part of their starting rotation.
Adding to Stroman’s woes, he was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 12 with left knee inflammation. Despite receiving extensive treatment, he has yet to fully recover. According to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, Stroman experienced discomfort in his knee following a live batting practice session in Tampa on Friday. “He’s gotten a lot of treatments on it and stuff,” Boone said. “It just can’t kind of get over that final hump to really allow him to get to that next level on the mound. We’ll try and continue to get our arms around it and try and make sure we get that out of there.”
The Yankees are already dealing with a thin starting rotation, and Stroman’s injury has only made matters worse. They will be without ace Gerrit Cole until 2026, and they are still waiting on the return of American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, who suffered a lat strain during spring training. With Stroman sidelined, the Yankees will have to rely on a combination of inexperienced pitchers to fill the void.
Despite his struggles this season, Stroman has had a solid career. Last season, he went 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA in 30 games (29 starts) with the Yankees. He threw 154.2 innings, his highest mark since the 2021 season when he was with the New York Mets. However, he struggled in the second half of the season and did not make an appearance during New York’s postseason run, which resulted in the Yankees’ first World Series appearance since 2009.
As the Yankees continue to search for answers, all eyes will be on Stroman as he tries to overcome his injury and get back on the mound. The team is counting on him to be a key part of their rotation, and his performance could have a major impact on their chances of success this season.