The New York Yankees are dealing with serious problems in their starting rotation. On Friday, the team confirmed that Marcus Stroman had a setback while trying to return from a left knee injury. He threw a bullpen session in Tampa but still felt pain, and it’s the same injury that has kept him out since April 12. Now, there’s no clear return date.
Stroman’s early-season performance has already raised concerns. He has made just three starts in 2025, recording an 11.57 ERA. His last start was especially bad—he only lasted two-thirds of an inning against the San Francisco Giants at Yankee Stadium—in a game that ended his short stretch in the rotation and added pressure on the team’s depth.
The injury news comes at a time when other pitchers are also unavailable. Luis Gil, who won Rookie of the Year last season, is still recovering from a lat injury. Manager Aaron Boone said Gil will begin a throwing program on Wednesday. If all goes well, he could return in June. However, the Yankees need help before then.
In the meantime, the team has turned to other options, but results have been mixed. Will Warren recently had a strong outing—7 and 1/3 innings against the Athletics—but overall, he has a 5.65 ERA and a 34-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 28.2 innings. Ryan Yarbrough has also filled in, but he hasn’t shown enough to be considered a long-term solution.
On Thursday, the Yankees made another move. They outrighted Carlos Carrasco to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He had already been designated for an assignment earlier in the week. Carrasco has the right to reject the assignment and become a free agent, but as of Friday, he had not done so. The 38-year-old has pitched 32 innings this season with a 5.91 ERA and a -0.3 bWAR. Over the past three seasons, he has a combined record of 8-20, with a 6.14 ERA and -2.9 bWAR. His struggles made it clear that the team needed to look elsewhere.
Right now, the Yankees’ rotation is leaning heavily on Max Fried and Carlos Rodón. Fried is leading the American League Cy Young race, with a 1.05 ERA in 51.2 innings. Rodón has also performed well, carrying a 2.96 ERA into his start on Saturday against the Athletics. But beyond those two, there are no reliable arms left.
This situation has pushed the Yankees to consider trade options. One name that keeps coming up is Sandy Alcantara from the Miami Marlins. According to a poll by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, Alcantara received the most votes—12 in total—from league executives as the player most likely to be traded by July.
Alcantara has had a rough start to the 2025 season. He missed all of last year due to Tommy John surgery and has struggled in his return. In seven starts, he has posted an 8.42 ERA, and only one of those starts was a quality start. Four of his seven outings were against teams with .500 records or worse. Still, the Yankees could see this as a chance to get a former Cy Young winner at a lower price.
There’s also reason to believe a trade between New York and Miami is realistic. Just a year ago, the Marlins traded Luis Arraez to the Padres in early May, showing they are willing to deal before the July deadline. In addition, the Marlins are familiar with the Yankees’ prospects. Last year, they traded Jazz Chisholm Jr. to New York and received catcher Agustin Ramirez in return. Ramirez recently debuted for Miami and has been one of their best hitters since joining the team.
The Yankees may have enough pieces in their farm system to work out a deal. And since Alcantara’s value is down due to his injury recovery and current performance, general manager Brian Cashman could try to make a move soon rather than wait for the trade deadline.
Right now, the Yankees are still in first place in the AL East. They’ve stayed competitive thanks to strong starts from Fried and Rodón and consistent offense. But the rotation isn’t sustainable in its current form. With Cole, Stroman, Gil, and Schmidt all unavailable, the need for a proven arm is urgent.
Injuries have forced the Yankees to adjust quickly. They’ve had to lean on rookies, veterans on the decline, and minor league depth. The latest setback with Stroman only makes that challenge more difficult. Unless the team gets healthy fast or finds a way to trade for someone like Alcantara, it will be hard to keep up the pace through the summer.
