Yankees' Marcus Stroman: Knee Pain Stems From Torn ACL From 2015
Marcus Stroman feels ready to return to the mound for the New York Yankees, able to manage pain in his left knee stemming from a torn ACL a decade ago.
"It's something that I try not to put in my head because if you're just thinking about that 24/7, you're not in a good place," the 34-year-old right-hander said Saturday, a day before he faces the Athletics.
Stroman has not pitched for the Yankees since allowing five runs in two-thirds of an inning against San Francisco on April 11. In three rehab appearances with Double-A Somerset that began June 11, Stroman was 0-1 with a 6.97 ERA.
He allowed five runs, 10 hits and two walks over 3 2/3 innings on Wednesday against Detroit's Erie Seawolves.
"I'm someone who definitely needs kind of the intensity to turn it on, so looking forward to kind of getting back out there," Stroman said.
Stroman tore his ACL during a spring training fielding drill with Toronto on March 10, 2015, had surgery nine days later and returned to a big league mound that Sept. 19 when he beat the Yankees in a five-inning outing in the Bronx.
He credited Nikki Huffman, his personal trainer and Toronto's head athletic trainer from 2018-19, with helping him manage the pain.
"It's my ACL knee that I tore 10 years ago, so just figuring out how to deal with the soreness, the aching and then mechanically figuring out how to get away from kind of overdoing it into my knee." Stroman said. "When I'm more efficient mechanically, my knee's taking less stress."
Stroman started the season 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA in three starts. He rejoins a rotation missing ace Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery), AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil (strained right lat) and left-hander Ryan Yarbrough (strained right oblique).
"He's got to command it. That's the biggest thing, is being where he wants on the plate and having a presence on both sides of the plate — can't just live one side," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "What is kind of the shapes of his pitches? Are is he crisp?"
Stroman was 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA in 29 starts and one relief appearance over 154 2/3 innings last season, his most since 2021 with the Mets. Stroman struggled in the second half and did not pitch in the postseason, when the Yankees made their first World Series appearance since 2009.
Boone discounted the last minor league outing.
"It was a smoking hot day in Somerset for a veteran guy that's pitching in Somerset for his third one," Boone said.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
recommended
Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Ex-Yankees second baseman leads All-Star race while team hunts for infield upgrade
Ex-Yankees second baseman leads All-Star race while team hunts for infield upgrade originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Once overlooked and written off in the Bronx, Gleyber Torres is now dominating the AL at second base, while the New York Yankees are looking for infield help at the trade deadline. Advertisement Torres leads the American League with 1,133,888 votes in All-Star Phase 1, topping Baltimore's Jackson Holliday (806,133) and Houston's José Altuve (795,123) A starter nod would make him Detroit's only fan-elected second baseman since Placido Polanco in 2007 (Lou Whitaker was the last in the '80s) Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber TorresDavid Reginek-Imagn Images Torres and the Yankees had a less-than-friendly split. He's cleared out his old Yankees social media content. He snapped back at GM Brian Cashman's comments on social media and liked posts that suggested he was unwanted in the Bronx. This spring, Torres said, 'I feel I deserve to be with an organization that wants me. Then when asked if he felt unwanted in New York, Torres added with a hint of snark, 'I don't know. Maybe go ask him,' referring to Cashman. Advertisement After Cashman revealed Torres refused to switch to third base when the team brought in Jazz Chisholm Jr., Torres took to social media to tell the Yankees GM to 'turn the page.' Heck, even when Torres was wearing pinstripes, Cashman was taking shots at him. Now, cloaked in a calmer atmosphere, Torres is playing with freedom and fire. He's hitting around .278 with seven home runs and the glove-first polish that made him a two-time All-Star by 24. Meanwhile, Detroit is getting a blast from a player they actually want. With voting ending Thursday at noon ET and finalists revealed that night, he's poised to secure his first All-Star start with Detroit—and perhaps the sweetest one yet. Advertisement Related: MLB Announces Yankees Star in Danger of Losing All-Star Starting Spot Related: Veteran Went from 'Trash' to 'Treasure' After Leaving Yankees Former Teammate Says This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How a Yankees castoff became an All-Star contender for the Tigers in 2025
How a Yankees castoff became an All-Star contender for the Tigers in 2025 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Maybe the Yankees thought Gleyber Torres was finished. Turns out, he was just getting started somewhere else. Advertisement Now in Detroit, Torres is one of two finalists to start at second base for the American League in next month's All-Star Game. He's not just putting up numbers—he's thriving, and doing it with the kind of consistency that eluded him during his final years in the Bronx. Torres is hitting .280 with an .803 OPS through 73 games for the first-place Tigers. Both marks would be career highs since 2019—the last time he made the All-Star team. And the advanced metrics show it's no fluke. According to Brian Murphy, Torres owns a .520 expected slugging percentage this year, a massive jump from the .368 xSLG he posted during a frustrating 2024 with New York. Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres.© Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images He's also heating up at just the right time. Torres extended his hit streak to four games Thursday with a two-run homer in a win over the A's, raising his season totals to eight home runs and 40 RBIs. He's helped Detroit stake out an early lead in the AL standings—and he might just earn a fan-elected starting job at second base for his efforts. Advertisement He's up against Orioles rookie Jackson Holliday, who has solid numbers but not the same impact. Holliday has nine home runs and a .721 OPS—good, but not Torres good. Voting resumes Monday, June 30, and runs through noon ET on July 2. There's still time for fans to make a statement. The Yankees once built around Gleyber Torres. Then they let him walk. The Tigers gave him a second chance—and now, he might just be an All-Star again. Want a headline package built around this one? We can lean into redemption, revenge, or 'Yankees gave up too soon' energy. Related: Veteran Went from 'Trash' to 'Treasure' After Leaving Yankees Former Teammate Says Related: The One Offseason Conversation That Saved Javier Baez's Career This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Why Marcus Stroman is confident his MLB return will be better than brutal rehab stint
Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free The Yankees will get another look at Marcus Stroman when he starts against the A's on Sunday, hoping that the belief shared by both the team and the right-hander that he will perform better in a major league setting than in his minor league rehab assignment proves to be correct. Stroman, sidelined with left knee inflammation since making just three starts at the beginning of the season, was knocked around in his final start with Double-A Somerset, but he and Aaron Boone are confident the results will be better against the A's — and not because it's the A's. 'It's definitely a feel and making sure the knee is moving well, the arm and body feel well,' Stroman said of his approach to his rehab, which ended with him giving up five runs and 10 hits in 3 ²/₃ innings Tuesday. 'It's about getting built up,' Stroman said. 'I'm someone that definitely needs the intensity turned up. I'm looking forward to getting back out there.' Marcus Stroman is set to return to the mound for the Yankees on Sunday. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Stroman noted he's been working to figure out how to best manage the discomfort in the knee, something he said he's dealt with since tearing his ACL in 2015 while with the Blue Jays. That includes ensuring his mechanics are on point. 'When I'm more efficient mechanically, my knee is getting less stress,' said Stroman, who acknowledged he'd likely always have to deal with it. The Yankees decided to start Stroman instead of Allan Winans, who allowed four runs in 4 ¹/₃ innings in his start after being recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to fill in for Ryan Yarbrough, on the IL with a strained right oblique. Winans was optioned to SWB following Saturday's game after allowing three runs — two earned — in two innings to open a roster spot for Stroman. Giancarlo Stanton is still looking for his first homer after being sidelined since spring training with elbow tendinitis, but Boone said he had been encouraged by his early performance. 'He hasn't hit the ball out of the ballpark yet, but I feel like there have been half a dozen balls hit hard in play or just missed fly balls,' the manager said. 'He's been on time [with his swing] for the most part and I feel like his swing decisions have been really good. He looks really good to me, really close to exploding.' Giancarlo Stanton reacts during the Yankees-A's game on June 28, 2025. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST Not on Saturday, as Stanton went hitless. He has just one extra-base hit in 38 plate appearances. Ian Hamilton stared down then said something to A's rookie Jacob Wilson on Wilson's comebacker that ended the top of the seventh. Wilson responded by screaming at Hamilton, who walked off the field. 'It was a bad inning,' Hamilton said. 'I was emotional, got the ball and looked in at him. I was upset with the inning. He asked me what I said and I walked off.' Jasson Domínguez was in the lineup Saturday against left-hander JP Sears, another start for the switch-hitter from the right side and struck out twice against the lefty. 'I feel really good about Jasson's growth,' Boone said. 'It hasn't been the spectacular season, but I feel he's been really steady and really solid.' CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS Boone pointed to Domínguez's improved defense in left field, as well as his 'at-bat quality' from both sides of the plate, even though his OPS is .611 as right-handed hitter and .798 from the left side. 'His at-bat quality has been steady,' Boone said. 'He gives good at-bats every day. Even from the right side, even though he doesn't have the results yet that he's had from the left side, he controls the [strike] zone right-handed.'
