Marcus Stroman will be shifted to a bullpen role by the New York Yankees starting next week as they try to fend off Baltimore in the tight AL East race.
The Yankees will have a day off on Monday before starting a six-game road trip to Seattle and Oakland. This break will allow them to return to a five-man rotation, with Nestor Cortes scheduled to start instead of Stroman.
“He’ll be available out of the bullpen likely on Sunday, and we’ll keep evaluating his role as we go,” said manager Aaron Boone before the Yankees’ 5-4 win against Boston on Friday night.
“I want to make sure we communicate well with him and put him in the best position,” Boone added. “He and I talked about it yesterday. Nothing is set in stone, but with the off day coming up, I wanted us to go with five starters this time and maybe next time, too. We’ll see how it goes.”
Last week, Cortes was the odd man out when New York used five starters around an off day on September 5. Although Cortes was unhappy with the decision, he pitched 4 1/3 hitless innings in relief last Saturday against the Chicago Cubs, earning the win in a 2-0 victory.
With no off days this week, both Stroman and Cortes pitched on their scheduled turns as the Yankees used six starters.
Stroman gave up three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings during a 5-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Cortes struck out nine in five innings, allowing one run and three hits with three walks in a no-decision against the Red Sox on Thursday.
Stroman is 10-8 with a 4.07 ERA in 28 starts this season with the Yankees. He has lost his last two games after previously going 3-0 with a 2.35 ERA in his prior four starts.
