Yankees will skip Marcus Stroman's next start, use him out of bullpen

The Yankees have two weeks to figure out which pieces give them the best shot at a deep playoff run, and they kicked off their latest experiment Friday, when Aaron Boone announced that they intend to skip Marcus Stroman’s next start and use him out of the bullpen starting Sunday. 

Stroman (10-8) has struggled since mid-June,  pitching to a 5.50 ERA in 14 starts and allowing 87 hits and 26 walks in 68 2/3 innings, with opposing hitters batting .313 against him in that span. Boone said they want to stick to a five-man rotation and responded “we’ll see” when asked if the Yankees also plan to skip the Stroman start after this one.

“It’s just another good pitcher that we have in the mix,” Boone said. “Whatever role that turns into . . . We’re in that point of the year where we have difficult decisions to make, and part of the reason they’re difficult decisions is because we have a lot of really good options.”

The Yankees previously did the same thing with Nestor Cortes, having him piggyback Clarke Schmidt when the latter returned to the rotation from the injured list, but after a successful relief outing and a strong start against the Red Sox on Thursday, Cortes has reclaimed his rotation spot. Moving Stroman  also could provide a glimpse into what Boone plans to do with his postseason roster — something that could include leaving Stroman off entirely. A team needs only four starters in the playoffs, and rosters shrink back down to 26, so Stroman's efficacy in this new role may be vital to his getting to play in October.

Stroman, who doesn’t have overpowering stuff and historically has enjoyed sticking to a routine, nonetheless had success in two bullpen outings with the Cubs last year. Coming off a 1 1/2-month stint on the injured list, he pitched three scoreless innings before returning to the rotation. His six other relief outings came in his rookie season, and he struggled, pitching to a 7.84 ERA in 10 ⅓ innings.

“I think we’re always careful not to put too much stock in small samples, but I think it is, to a certain extent, trying to figure out what kind of combinations work,” pitching coach Matt Blake said Thursday. “It’s kind of a convoluted situation where there’s moving parts in the rotation, moving parts in the bullpen . . . Now, more than ever, there are evolving roles.”

Boone said he communicated the decision to Stroman on Thursday and that he took it well.

“Stro has been so good for us and so good in the room,” Boone said. “He’s all about the team in there and all about the guys in there. Basically, his message to me is whatever you need and I’ll be ready to go. I think he just wants to be part of a winner . . . He’s been a real joy for me to get to manage.”

Boone added that “nothing is permanent” and called the pitching situation “fluid.”

“I’ll try to put him in the best position, make sure we communicate well with him,” Boone said. “He’s one of the reasons we’re here. He’s gone to the post for us, taken all of his starts, won a lot of ballgames for us. I think one of the reasons we have a chance to get to the postseason is some of the consistency of our starting pitching and, on balance, he’s done a really good job for us. As I’ve told him, he’s one of the reasons we’re in this position now.”

Dominguez sits again. Jasson Dominguez was out of the lineup against the Red Sox on Friday, but Boone said he still intends to give the rookie regular playing time and that he’ll be in the lineup Saturday. Alex Verdugo, who has  struggled for much of the season but was hitting .328 in his last 16 games going into Friday, started in leftfield and batted eighth. Giancarlo Stanton likely will get the day off Saturday, freeing up the DH for Aaron Judge and allowing both Verdugo and Dominguez to play.

It was just “wanting to keep Doogie in the mix,” Boone said. Moving Judge to  DH  on Saturday will give the Yankees “two in a row with Doogie, yet it keeps me four out of five with Dominguez. [We’re] wanting to keep guys playing and active and in rhythm to the best degree possible.”

With David Lennon

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.