WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — New York Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman has experienced a setback in his recovery from a left knee injury that has kept him sidelined for the past month.
Manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Stroman continued to feel discomfort in his knee after throwing a live batting practice session Friday in Tampa, Florida. He will be reevaluated before the team determines the next step in his rehab process.
“He’s had a lot of treatment on it,” Boone said. “It just can’t quite get over that final hump to allow him to take that next step on the mound. We’re trying to get our arms around it and figure out how to get him past this.”
Stroman has not pitched since April 11, when he gave up five runs in just two-thirds of an inning against the San Francisco Giants. He was placed on the 15-day injured list the next day with what was initially thought to be a short-term issue. However, his return remains uncertain. Boone also acknowledged the injury may have affected Stroman’s performance before going on the IL—he’s 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA in three starts this season.
“In that last start, he just couldn’t drive off that front side the way he needed to,” Boone said. “These guys are like race cars—one thing goes off, and it affects everything, from command to velocity. We’re working to get him back to where he needs to be.”
Stroman previously underwent surgery in 2015 to repair a torn ACL in the same knee but returned to pitch later that season. Now 34, he’s in the second year of a two-year, $37 million deal, which includes a conditional $16 million player option for 2026 if he reaches 140 innings this year.
Last season, Stroman went 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA over 154 2/3 innings in 30 appearances (29 starts), his highest workload since 2021. He struggled in the second half and didn’t pitch in the postseason, though the Yankees reached their first World Series since 2009.
In other injury news, DJ LeMahieu played his second straight rehab game with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday and could rejoin the Yankees in Seattle this week for his season debut. He recently received a cortisone injection in his right hip, an injury dating back to last year.
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