With his Yankees future up in the air, social media sleuths noticed recently that Marcus Stroman scrubbed the Yankees from his Instagram account, unfollowing the team’s official page.
Manager Aaron Boone has an explanation for that.
“The unfollow was a standard scrub that he does that was actually very coincidental,” Boone told The Post’s Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman on “The Show” podcast.
But Boone is not shying away from the fact that, if the Yankees are healthy, Stroman does not have a clear role with the team as he enters the second season of a two-year, $37 million contract that includes a vesting option for 2026 if he pitches 140 innings this season.
The Yankees have yet to find a trade partner, but moving Stroman would allow them to get under the highest luxury-tax threshold.
“To me, he’s in a really good spot,” Boone said of Stroman on the podcast. “It is what it is, the situation. There’s obviously been a lot of noise around it. I’m sure on some level he’s heard that and gets that. I had a very good talk with him … He and I have a very good relationship. I feel like he is in a good mental place. I feel like he’s physically ready to go.
“Acknowledging there’s some awkwardness with, where does he slot in? The reality is, I’m getting him ready to go. We’re gonna get him ready to start. We’re such a long way away from now and Opening Day.”
Stroman, 33, had a 2.60 ERA through his first 12 starts with the Yanks last season, though his 4.46 fielding independent pitching (FIP) suggests he was getting a lot of help.
Over his final 18 appearances (17 starts), Stroman had a 5.70 ERA with a 4.75 FIP.
He did not make any playoff appearances during the Yankees’ run to the World Series, where they lost to the Dodgers in five games.
