On Saturday, the New York Yankees will host the Kansas City Royals in the opening ALDS game. But the Yankees made some unexpected roster cuts before to the series, as Anthony Rizzo and Marcus Stroman were left off the ALDS squad. According to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, Yankees manager Aaron Boone discussed the decision to leave Stroman off the roster on Saturday.

“You just felt like it was better to go with another reliever for this series, going with four on when you could only need three starters,” Boone remarked.

Hoch adds that Boone described the circumstances as a “hard decision.”

There had already been rumors that Stroman’s status on the ALDS roster was in jeopardy. But until the Yankees revealed their ALDS roster, nothing was official.

Will Marcus Stroman pitch for the Yankees in the postseason?

Due to the best-of-five format used to decide division series, most teams only use three starters per series. Then, in preparation for a best-of-seven World Series and championship series, teams may choose to add a fourth starting pitcher. Put another way, if the Yankees progress, Marcus Stroman might be added to the roster.

For now, though, New York wanted to depend on the bullpen by investing in reliever depth. On Saturday, the Yankees and Royals series will kick off. The Yankees must be ready to compete against a squad that has momentum after the Royals stunned the Baltimore Orioles in the opening round of the postseason.

Nevertheless, New York had a successful regular season. The odds are in their favor to beat the Royals. However, anything can occur. Stroman might return to the Yankees if they are successful in securing a spot in the American League Championship Series.

All Stroman can do right now is watch his squad try not to get rattled by the Royals.

One pitcher must not be included in the Yankees’ postseason preparations.

The New York Yankees have a potent bullpen that is led by Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver and includes other important players who have performed well over the last two months. But following an inconsistent and injury-plagued season, the starting lineup is in shambles.

The Yankees’ rotation is led by Gerrit Cole, but depth is still an issue.

Despite Carlos Rodon’s inconsistent play in the postseason, the Yankees are compelled to rely on him despite Gerrit Cole’s outstanding season. Manager Aaron Boone is still undecided between Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt for the third rotation place. The Yankees will have to make a tough choice because neither pitcher was able to finish the regular season strong.

Nestor Cortes was originally relegated to the bullpen by Boone, but after showing signs of All-Star form, he was brought back into the starting lineup. Regretfully, Cortes was hurt not long after, and it is now anticipated that he will miss much of the postseason.

Due to Marcus Stroman’s decline, the Yankees have few options.

In the wake of Cortes’ injury, Boone turned on veteran Marcus Stroman to step in, but the once-reliable starter has had a horrible second half of the season, effectively pitching his way out of any meaningful playoff consideration.

Significant decline has been shown in Stroman’s 2024 campaign. He recorded a 4.31 ERA over 154.2 innings, and an even poorer projected ERA (xERA) of 4.87. When throwing at least 100 innings, his 1.0 WAR is the lowest of his career, and his strikeout rate fell to a career-low 6.58 per nine innings. His ground ball rate dipped to 49.2% and his left-on-base percentage dropped to 73.9%, which is approximately 8% less than his 2023 totals.

Age may have finally caught up to Stroman, as evidenced by his declining velocity and general effectiveness, which puts the Yankees in a tough situation when it comes to his postseason position.

The Yankees’ Contract with Stroman and His Future There

A two-year, $37 million contract that will expire in 2025 binds Stroman to the Yankees. Additionally, he has a 2026 vesting option that, should he pitch 140 innings the following season, changes to a player option. The Yankees will probably closely monitor his workload in light of his previous problems in order to avoid exercising that option and free up funds for more roster upgrades in the future.

The sinker, cutter, slider, slurve, and split-finger fastball are among Stroman’s main weapons. With an 11% decrease from 2023, his sinker, which he throws 35.1% of the time, has been particularly unreliable, giving up a.306 batting average and a.466 slugging rate. He is a liability on the mound due to the effectiveness of his off-speed deliveries.

Uncertainty About Stroman’s Playoff Status

It appears doubtful that the Yankees will deploy Stroman as a starter given his problems, and even a stint out of the bullpen is dubious. This season, Stroman has a 5.90 ERA in the first inning of games, which is a good sign for how he would perform in a relief role. In light of this, the Yankees have other reliable possibilities, such as Schmidt and Gil, who are both more qualified for important positions. The bullpen is still deep, with numerous arms that can pitch multiple innings if necessary.