Marcus Stroman Returns to Yankees Spring Training amid MLB Trade Rumors

After missing the past two days of New York Yankees spring training, starting pitcher Marcus Stroman returned to the team Friday, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

Stroman, who has been the subject of trade rumors, reported to the team Tuesday to take his mandatory physical, but he was absent Wednesday and Thursday, per Hoch.

Stroman is clearly sixth in the Yankees' starting pitching pecking order right now behind Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt, but according to ESPN's Jorge Castillo, Stroman insisted Friday that he will not pitch out of the bullpen, saying, "I’m a starter."

When asked by reporters if calling himself a starter was a statement to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, Stroman suggested it wasn't and pointed toward his lengthy history of being a starter at the MLB level:

Stroman also provided some insight into why he decided to report to the team Friday, saying he felt the "vibes were going to be proper" and "everyone's happy" on Valentine's Day:

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters he "had an idea" Stroman might miss some time during spring training and admitted that Stroman is in an "awkward" situation with his name continuing to be mentioned in trade speculation.

Despite Stroman's absence for a couple of days, Boone expressed confidence Thursday that he would be good to go when he did eventually report, saying: "I do feel like, having had communication with him last night and this morning, that he is ready to go mentally and physically and will hopefully be here in the next couple of days."

The 33-year-old Stroman signed a two-year, $37 million contract with the Yankees last offseason, and he spent the vast majority of last season in New York's starting rotation.

Stroman made 29 starts and pitched in 30 games overall, going 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 113 strikeouts over 154.2 innings pitched.

The ERA and WHIP were Stroman's worst since 2018 when he was with the Toronto Blue Jays, and his 6.6 strikeouts per nine innings were his fewest since his second MLB season in 2015 when he made only four starts.

Given his uneven performance during the regular season, Stroman did not pitch at all for the Yankees in the playoffs despite New York making it all the way to the World Series.

Still, Stroman could generate some interest on the trade market leading up to Opening Day, provided the asking price is low and if the Yankees are willing to eat some of his salary.

The 10-year MLB veteran is a two-time All-Star and one-time Gold Glove Award winner with a career record of 87-85 to go along with a 3.72 ERA and 1.28 WHIP.

Before last season, Stroman had posted a sub-4.00 ERA in each of the previous four seasons he played in, which suggests he could get back to his old ways with a change of scenery.

However, for now, Stroman remains in pinstripes, and it could stay that way if the Yankees can't make a trade happen.

Stroman is a quality backup plan if one of the Yankees' five starters get injured, but if all of them are healthy come the start of the regular season, it is fair to wonder how the Yanks would handle things given that Stroman insisted Friday that he doesn't want to be a reliever.