There was serious concern about the Yankees’ rotation when the season began, and for good reason.
With Gerrit Cole out for the year and Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt also injured, the staff was far from full strength. The now-injured Marcus Stroman, the subject of offseason trade rumors; Carlos Carrasco, a non-roster invitee at the end of his career; and Will Warren, a rookie learning on the fly, were all part of a group that posted a league-worst 5.40 ERA through April 13.
That was in spite of Max Fried recording a 1.56 ERA through his first three starts.
“We gotta do better,” Boone said on April 11. “Obviously, we’re coming off a great start with Max, but we’ve struggled to this point. It’s 13 games in, but we’ve gotta, night in and night out, pitch a little bit better to put us in a good situation. So we’ll keep working at it.
“We have very capable people, but we gotta get a little more.”
Fast forward to mid-May, and the Yankees have gotten a lot more from their rotation.
Fried is still pitching like an ace — his 1.29 ERA leads all starters — and Carlos Rodón has met the expectations of a No. 2 while recording one of the highest strikeout rates in baseball. Schmidt, while still finding his footing, has rejoined the group after nagging spring training injuries delayed his season debut, while Warren is coming off two impressive starts and leads the Yankees’ rotation in FIP.
Now on the upswing, Yankees starters have a 2.89 ERA since April 14.
Only the Rangers have been better, posting a 2.56 mark over that stretch.
With both staffs thriving, the two teams will begin a three-game series in the Bronx on Tuesday night. While Fried won’t pitch in the series, Texas will throw three of its four best starters.
First up is Patrick Corbin, a New York native and childhood Yankees fan. The lefty has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence with the Rangers after some miserable seasons in D.C., recording a 3.35 ERA over seven starts.
Wednesday will mark Jacob deGrom’s first start in New York since he left the Mets after the 2022 season. The oft-injured, two-time Cy Young has been sharp thus far, logging a 2.29 ERA over nine starts.
Finally, former Yankee Nathan Eovaldi will start the finale. He’s off to an excellent start this season, tallying a 1.61 ERA through 10 outings.
The Yankees, meanwhile, will turn to Warren, Ryan Yarbrough and Rodón.
Yarbrough has been working as a swingman since the Yankees designated Carrasco for assignment. Boone decided to reinsert Yarbrough into the rotation Wednesday after taking advantage of last Thursday’s off day and skipping over him so that Schmidt and Fried could start against the Mets on normal rest over the weekend.
Yarbrough, a southpaw, has a 3.70 ERA this season and a 3.00 ERA over nine innings as a starter.
“Yarbs has done a great job for us,” Boone recently said. “To be able to have him in the pen the last couple days, it gave us a little added protection there. But I also feel like gosh, he’s pitched so well that he kind of deserves to get in there.”
RICE JUST HAVING FUN AT THIRD
Ben Rice said that he and J.C Escarra took some groundballs at third base before Sunday’s game against the Mets. However, Rice repeatedly insisted that he was only doing so “just for fun.”
“J.C. and I just do it to feel better when we’re at first base,” Rice added.
Escarra said that they recently took grounders at shortstop — a position neither will play unless circumstances are beyond dire — when the Yankees were in Sacramento. Guys warm up out of position all the time; Stroman and outfielder Alex Verdugo made frequent pregame infield cameos last season.
A catcher by trade, Rice also plays first base. But he’s mainly been the Yankees’ designated hitter, leaving folks to wonder how his hard-hitting bat will fit into the lineup when Giancarlo Stanton returns from his tennis elbow injuries.
Rice and Boone have said the Yankees haven’t considered new positions for the former, such as third or a corner outfield spot. That said, Escarra believes his fellow receiver has some skills that could benefit Rice at the hot corner.
“He has the hands, and he definitely has the arm strength to play there,” said Escarra, who has experience at third. “So you never know.”
MATZEK ELECTS FREE AGENCY
Tyler Matzek elected free agency on Monday instead of accepting an outright assignment to the minors. The Yankees designated the lefty for assignment on Friday.
Matzek had a strong spring training before an oblique issue sidelined him, and he wasn’t nearly as crisp once he returned from the injury and worked his way up to the majors. The veteran had a 4.26 ERA over seven games.
