The New York Yankees placed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough on the 15-day IL, retroactive to June 20, with a right oblique strain, the team announced on Sunday morning. Left-hander Jayvien Sandridge was recalled in a corresponding move.

Sandridge is a career Minor Leaguerand reliever with one start in 162 games. In other words, he doesn’t project to fill the void in New York’s rotation left by Yarbrough, who’s been a pleasant surprise in the No. 5 spot. Naturally, fans are left wondering who will replace the latter, though they may subconsciously know the answer and are afraid of speaking it into existence.

Yankees turning to Marcus Stroman following Ryan Yarbrough’s IL placement feels inevitable

Much to the Yankees faithful’s chagrin, all roads in the Bronx somehow seemingly lead back to Marcus Stroman. Manager Aaron Boone has already said he’ll “be in the mix” for activation if all goes well in his next rehab outing on Tuesday (h/t Bryan Hoch, MLB.com). What role the 34-year-old will serve when he returns wasn’t made clear, but Yarbrough’s absence opens a spot in the starting five. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to connect these dots.

Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reported that right-hander Allan Winans will get the nod for New York’s upcoming series opener against the Cincinnati Reds. However, that isn’t indicative of him sticking in the rotation while Yarbrough’s sidelined; it’s mostly because the timing aligns with the Triple-A standout’s rest schedule. The situation remains worth monitoring, especially with Stroman’s looming return from a knee issue.

Boone promptly spread the breadcrumb trail for Stroman following the Yarbrough news, which feels deliberate. But why? We know what the veteran hurler is at this point. New York has other, far more intriguing arms who are at least worthy of consideration before settling for an uninspiring alternative they’ve seen plenty of.

Who should the Yankees turn to while Ryan Yarbrough is out, if not Marcus Stroman?

Why not give Winans or ascending pitching prospect Cam Schlittler a shot to prove themselves? Each has shown the potential to be a difference-maker. Conversely, inconsistency continues to plague Stroman, who will be facing the additional uphill battle of trying to overcome injury while battling those demons.

Schlittler is New York’s No. 10-ranked prospect and has been a bright spot across the Minors this season. He’s gone 5-6 with a 2.37 ERA, 1.200 WHIP and 88 strikeouts across 68.1 innings of work. His combination of a powerful fastball and potent off-speed offerings (slider and curveball) works well together, yielding a high K rate.

Winan has been sensational for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2025. He’s 7-0 with a dazzling 0.90 ERA, 1.040 WHIP and 59 strikeouts in 50 innings. His incredible production demonstrates considerable upside worthy of an opportunity for a Yankees squad in need.