As the opening of 2025 approaches, there is a hole in the New York Yankees' starting lineup. Last year's American League Rookie of the Year Lewis Hill will be out of the lineup for at least six weeks.
MLB.COM, the official website of the Major League Baseball (MLB), reported on the 4th (Korea time) that "Yan Boone, the Yankees manager, was diagnosed with a high (injury) grade right flank sprain and would not be able to pitch for at least six weeks, and would try out Yankees starting pitcher candidates." MLB.COM said Hill failed to finish the bullpen session due to pain on the 1st, underwent an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test on the 2nd, and is early to predict the return date.
Hill was awarded the Rookie of the Year award in the American League last year. He pitched in 29 games, winning 15 games and losing seven with a 3.50 171 strikeouts. The Yankees, who gave up a large number of pitching resources including Michael King to recruit Juan Soto before the season, won the American League East title thanks to Hill's performance and advanced to the World Series for the first time in 15 years.
How much the Yankees valued Hill was also revealed during the Stove League. After losing to the New York Mets in the game to recruit Soto, who became a free agent, the Yankees fought in the game to recruit Kyle Tucker, a slugger for the Houston Astros, but failed to recruit him as well. He refused when Houston asked for Hill as a return payment from Tucker. He judged that Hill, a 15-win pitcher who can be used for a long time by the Yankees, is more valuable than Tucker, who will become a free agent one year later.
However, Hill will leave early in the season. The hole in the starting lineup will get bigger as well. "Coach Boone said right-handed starting pitcher Clark Schmidt suffered a similar injury last season. Schmidt was put on the injured list in late May and did not return until September," MLB.COM reported.
For now, the Yankees have solid first to third starting pitchers – Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Carlos Rodon. On top of that, if Schmidt is assigned as the fourth starting pitcher, he only needs to fill one spot. "In the short term, chances are high that Marcus Stroman will join the starting rotation early in the season due to Hill's injury," MLB.COM said. Boone also predicted that Carlos Carrasco, Will Warren, and Alan Winans will also be potential candidates. Carrasco and Winans are currently in camp under minor league contracts.
Stroman is a good player as he opposed to switching to a bullpen session. Stroman, who signed a contract with the Yankees last year, had 10-9 record with an ERA of 4.31 but was losing ground in the starting lineup competition this year when Fried was hired. In response, Stroman said 11 times that he was a starting pitcher and said he would not throw as a bullpen session during a 10-minute interview after joining the camp on June 17.
Stroman needs to show Hill's performance during his absence. Stroman, who signed a two-year, 37 million-dollar contract with the Yankees last year, will expire after the end of the 2025 season. However, if he can play 140 innings or more during the 2025 season, he can exercise the option of a one-year contract extension. Although it is difficult for Hill to play 140 innings before returning to the mound, if he shows his performance as a starter, he will be traded during the entire season. If successful, both the Yankees and the players who wanted to throw him out could be "win-win." 바카라사이트