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New York Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman was roughed up in his latest injury rehab start for Double-A Somerset Tuesday.

Marcus Stroman’s frustrating season continued Tuesday, with the right-hander getting tagged in his latest rehab start. In possibly his final appearance before returning to the New York Yankees’ rotation, Stroman allowed five runs on 10 hits over 3.2 innings for Double-A Somerset, throwing 65 pitches (41 strikes).

Stroman, 34, fared far better in his previous start for Somerset last Wednesday, when he retired the first 10 batters he faced and allowed two runs over 3.1 innings.

The two-time All-Star has been on the 15-day injured list since April 12 with left knee inflammation. He is 0-1 with an unsightly 11.57 ERA in three starts for New York this season.

Marcus Stroman ‘In the Mix’ to Rejoin Yankees

Facing Erie, the Detroit Tigers’ Double-A affiliate, Stroman had just one strikeout compared to two walks and saw his velocity sit around 89 mph.

The SeaWolves pushed across a run in the first inning on a Jake Holton double then scored four more times in the third on consecutive doubles by Holton and Chris Meyers and a single by Justice Bigbie.

Stroman has logged 10.1 innings across three rehab starts, allowing nine runs (eight earned) for a 6.97 ERA. He has nine strikeouts compared to five walks.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said prior to Stroman’s latest start that he would “be in the mix” to rejoin the big league club. However, the Yankees have yet to announce the next steps.

Yankees’ AL East Lead Keeps Shrinking

The Yankees certainly have yet to get their money’s worth from Stroman, who is in the final year of a two-year, $37 million contract he signed in January 2024. The deal also includes an $18 million vesting option for 2026 if Stroman reaches 140 innings pitched this season. At this point, Stroman is almost guaranteed to not reach that threshold.

Last season with New York, Stroman was 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA in 30 appearances (29 starts). In 154.2 innings, he struck out 113 and walked 60.

The Yankees (45-34) still have the majors’ seventh-lowest team ERA at 3.51 but have seen their American League East lead over the Tampa Bay Rays shrink to just 1.0 game.

New York’s current rotation consists of Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt, and Will Warren. Right-hander Allan Winans made his first Yankees start in Monday’s 6-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds and allowed four runs over 4.1 innings.

The Yankees conceivably could slot Stroman into Winans’ next turn in the rotation, Sunday against the Athletics.

Douglas Bonjour is a breaking news contributor covering the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and WNBA for Heavy. He is also a contributing writer for The Associated Press and has worked for Point Spreads, the Connecticut Post and Hearst Connecticut Media as a reporter and editor. More about Douglas Bonjour