After the Yankees had Marcus Stroman visit the team doctor following a brutal start against the San Francisco Giants, his nagging knee pain will land him on the 15-day IL. The Yankees are calling it knee inflammation, with the corresponding move being the promotion of veteran right-hander Allan Winans, who will serve as long relief or rotation depth depending on the team’s needs in the coming days.
This pitching staff has been stretched thin over the past few days due to shortened outings from their starters, and this recent 0.2 IP start from Stroman only made the issue worse. Allan Winans appeared in relief for the Scranton RailRiders this season, striking out three batters across 2.2 innings of scoreless work.
Marcus Stroman Placed on IL, Yankees Call On Allan Winans To Add Depth
After a disappointing 2024 season where Marcus Stroman was removed from the starting rotation, the veteran right-hander was off to a brutal start this year. Through three starts, he remained the only starter in the rotation to not complete five innings in a single outing, posting an 11.57 ERA and 6.52 FIP across 9.1 innings pitched. With a lack of volume or value, the Yankees have been stretched thin whenever he’s pitched, and the problem has been exacerbated even more by the lack of quality starts they’ve received from their rotation.
They were the last team in baseball to have a starter twirl a Quality Start, and their 5.46 ERA from the rotation is the worst mark in MLB. Stroman is a huge reason for those struggles, and the roster desperately awaits the return of Clarke Schmidt who is set to be activated off the IL on either April 15th or April 16th. The Yankees have also gotten closer to Luis Gil beginning his throwing program, and they hope he can be back at some point in June to provide some key innings for this starting five.
As for Allan Winans, his role on the roster isn’t entirely clear, but the Yankees could use him as long relief since they can just have Clarke Schmidt slide into Marcus Stroman’s turn in the rotation.
Winans struggled in Spring Training, pitching to a 5.02 ERA across 14.1 innings, but the Yankees are hoping he can provide a solid outing or two in relief. The right-hander sports a sinker, sweeper, changeup, and four-seamer that he can use to attack the zone, but lacks the velocity to overpower hitters. He’s more of a finesse pitcher that has to nibble instead of going right after a hitter, a familiar issue that exists up and down the Yankees’ rotation. Winans could be the roster casualty when Schmidt returns, as he has Minor League options remaining for 2025.
The Yankees take on the Giants for Game 2 of this three-game set as Will Warren and Jordan Hicks square off on a cold day in the Bronx at 3:05 PM Eastern Time.