Shortly before their game on Sunday, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed that Marcus Stroman has suffered a setback as he attempts to return from a knee injury that has kept him out for a full month now. While this is obviously not what Stroman or the Yankees wanted to hear, this dose of bad news does come with a bright spot thanks to how the right-hander’s contract is structured.

Stroman signed a two-year, $37 million deal with the Yankees ahead of the 2024 season, with the team hoping he could anchor the middle of their rotation. Stroman had an opportunity to earn a third-year player option worth $18 million had he thrown at least 140 innings in the 2025 campaign. Well, this setback might have eliminated any chance of Stroman earning that player option.

The Yankees would almost certainly love to have him in their rotation right now, but Stroman not earning the player option is something for New York to be somewhat thankful for.

Marcus Stroman setback gives Yankees a path out of frustrating contract

Stroman has just 9.1 innings under his belt this season, and with that setback, he won’t be back for a while. Given that, the chances of him reaching the 140-inning plateau, a mark it took him 27 starts to clear last season, are incredibly slim.

The Yankees had high hopes for Stroman, but haven’t gotten close to what they paid for. Stroman had a disappointing first season in the Bronx, and the team was prepared to move him to the bullpen or even trade him prior to the 2025 campaign as a result no matter how hard he seemed to fight back. Injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil gave New York no choice but to use Stroman as a starter, but he allowed 12 runs in 9.1 innings covering his first three appearances of this season before his IL stint began.

The pitcher Stroman was last season wasn’t worth $18 million, and he only looked worse through his brief stint this season before his injury. Given that, the Yankees did dodge a bullet not having to deal with Stroman opting in for another year at big money.

With that being said, though, this Yankees team could use him right now. Max Fried and Carlos Rodon have led the way in the rotation, and both Clarke Schmidt and Will Warren have upside, but the Yankees don’t have a No. 5 starter. Ryan Yarbrough pitched well on Sunday in that role, but he has never had much success as a traditional starter. Stroman wasn’t great last season, but he did eat innings. The Yankees could use that right now, so Stroman being out for longer does sting.

Still, while no setback is ideal, New York getting out of his contract after this season as a result of the setback makes it feel a bit better.