The move of Marcus Stroman could be the first Yankees domino to fall

They're trying to win the division title, which would give the Yankees a bye into the first round of best-of-three blitzes. That's important, but not necessarily the deciding factor.

Rather, the priority of manager Aaron Boone and the entire management team in the remaining 15 games and more than two weeks of the regular season is to develop a postseason rotation, lineup and back end of the bullpen that has staying power.

Fall begins in a week on Sunday, but the rest of the month will be filled with spring training-style auditions. Will the Yankees start Alex Verdugo in left field every day while Jasson Dominguez sits on the bench? Will the team actually start the playoffs with a closer-for-the-day?

And which (or which) of the six potential starting pitchers will be cut from the rotation – if not from the postseason roster – at least for the best-of-three and best-of-five of the next round?

Boone gave a pretty clear hint before Friday's game in the Bronx against the Red Sox. And while the manager stressed that no decision is final — and of course it is — things aren't looking promising for Marcus Stroman, who will be passed over in the next round as the Yankees work with a five-man rotation that includes Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and Nester Cortes.

“Stro won't be in this one,” Boone said of the 33-year-old right-hander, who has a 5.57 ERA in his last four starts and has struggled in his last two outings. “He'll probably be available for us in the bullpen on Sunday and we'll continue to evaluate from there.”

Stroman has made 28 appearances this season, all of them as starters. In his major league career, which began in 2014, he has made 259 appearances. All but eight were as a starter, six as a relief pitcher in his rookie season with Toronto and the other two last year with the Cubs.

Let’s just say: he is not Ramiro Mendoza.

“I'm going to try to put him in the best position and make sure we communicate well with him,” Boone said. “He and I have spoken [Thursday] about it, nothing is necessarily permanent, but with the day off [coming up Monday]I want us to play with five players at least in the next round and maybe next time too. We'll see.”

Stroman has served his purpose in this first season of a two-year contract that pays him $18 million next season and has an $18 million player option for 2026. The feisty right-hander has been instrumental in filling innings in the rotation as Cole, Schmidt and Gil each missed stretches. Stroman's 28 starts rank third behind Rodon and Cortes, who both have 29 starts. His 148 ¹/₃ innings are also the third-most behind Rodon and Cortes.

“He's one of the reasons we're here,” Boone said when asked about his assessment of Stroman's season. “You know, he's been in the post for us, made all his starts, won a lot of games [10] for us.

“I think one of the reasons we even have a chance to make the playoffs is the consistency of our starting pitcher. Overall, he's done a really good job for us and I've told him he's one of the reasons we're in this position.”

Baseball can be a cruel beast. Stroman's second-half splits have consistently trended downward throughout his career. He doesn't necessarily have an out-pitch that would play in the postseason. If that decision isn't set in stone, it's probably as close to it as it gets, barring a few injuries.

Cole has Game 1. It's likely the Yankees will lean toward Gil in Game 2, although the matchups will play a significant role in the final decision. Schmidt, Rodon and Cortes — 3.11 ERA in the stadium versus 4.81 on the road — are all in the running to become the franchise's newest Andy Pettitte, who started nine consecutive Division Series Game 2s from 1995 to 2003. The team, by the way, went 6-3 in those starts.

Schmidt, who came into this game against Boston looking to build on his 75 pitches and 4 ²/₃ scoreless innings from last week at Wrigley, spent the first part of his career as a relief pitcher before being inserted into the rotation early last year, so he may be more valuable as an integral part of the bullpen in October.

Boone said Stroman took the news with a “one for all, all for one” attitude, even though it was certainly disappointing and bitter.

“He cares completely about the team and the guys there,” Boone said. “His basic message to me was, 'Whatever you need, I'm ready.' And I think he just wants to be part of a winner, and as much as we've enjoyed him being here with us and becoming a big part of our room, this room has certainly loved him, too.

“It was a real pleasure to train him.”

The Yankees began the evening with a two-game lead over Baltimore, their largest lead since August 7. They would like to lock that in and maybe give Aaron Judge a rest. First, they need to nail down their rotation, bullpen and lineup.

Stroman could be the first to fall.