LAKELAND, Fla. — After one injury and one rejection, the Yankees have an unfilled position for Opening Day starter. Send all applications to 1 East, 161st Street in The Bronx.
Gerrit Cole will not get the ball on March 28 in Houston because of his right elbow concerns, and Marcus Stroman — the most logical next candidate — prefers to stay on his current schedule, which has the righty lined up to pitch March 30 (Game 3 of the Astros series), and the April 5 home opener against the Blue Jays.
In the wake of Cole’s injury, GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone approached Stroman to gauge his interest for the Opening Day honor.
While Boone said the decision still could change, Stroman valued remaining on his current schedule over the frills of Game 1.
“I think they thought I was going to be like, ‘Hey, let me get it,’” Stroman said of the conversation after a 7-0 loss to the Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday. “But like I said, that’s not my nature, man. Doesn’t matter to me.”
What did matter was possibly adjusting a schedule that would have included several more days of rest just before the start of the season.
“People don’t understand how much changing your schedule at this point in the spring — might seem like it’s easy — but every little day matters,” Stroman said.
Boone already has announced Carlos Rodon will start the second game of the season. Could Nestor Cortes or Clarke Schmidt get the nod for the opener?
“Could be,” Boone said, but even those two are not lined up for March 28.
Both are aligned to pitch Friday — Schmidt in a game in Tampa against the Pirates, Cortes in a simulated game — but they, too, would need significant alterations in their throw days to be lined up for the season opener.
Boone, who has declined to shed much light on the newest Yankees mystery, acknowledged that there will be some juggling in schedules to ensure someone will be ready for an opener that is two weeks away.
“I’ve decided who’s starting,” Boone said. “I just want to let a few more days go off the clock. A lot can happen.”
The only other candidate would be the winner of the fifth starting job — perhaps Luke Weaver — unless the Yankees opt for a bullpen game.