NEW YORK -- Marcus Stroman is the new odd man out in the Yankees' rotation, as manager Aaron Boone said the veteran right-hander will be available out of the bullpen beginning Sunday.

Stroman¡¯s move to a relief role follows Nestor Cortes¡¯ solid outing in Thursday¡¯s 2-1, 10-inning victory over the Red Sox, with Boone saying that Cortes would remain in a starting role for the club¡¯s next turn.

Boone said that he believes Stroman took the news well.

¡°Stro has been so good for us and so good in the room,¡± Boone said. ¡°He¡¯s all about that team in there and all about the guys in there. Basically, his message to me is, ¡®Whatever you need, and I¡¯ll be ready to go.¡¯ I think he just wants to be part of a winner.¡±

Boone indicated that the Yankees might keep a five-man rotation for the turn after their next one, though he said it has not been decided if they would keep Stroman in relief or plug another starter into a bullpen role.

¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Boone said. ¡°I¡¯ll try and put [Stroman] in the best position and make sure we communicate well with him. He and I spoke yesterday about it. Nothing is necessarily permanent, but with the off-day coming [on Monday], I want to have us go five at least this next turn and maybe the next time around, too.¡±

Stroman is in his first season as a Yankee, having signed a two-year, $37 million deal in January that included a vesting option for 2026.

Stroman has had a rough September, permitting eight runs and 16 hits in nine innings (8.00 ERA) over two starts. He has also struggled since the All-Star break, faring 3-4 with a 5.40 ERA in nine starts compared to a 7-4 record and 3.51 ERA in 19 starts before the break.

¡°He¡¯s one of the reasons we¡¯re here,¡± Boone said. ¡°He¡¯s gone to the post for us, taking all his starts. He¡¯s won a lot of ballgames for us. I think one of the reasons we have a chance to get to the postseason is some of the consistency of our starting pitching.

¡°On balance, he¡¯s done a really good job for us, and as I¡¯ve told him, [he is] one of the reasons we¡¯re in this position now. I feel like all of our starters have done a good job of giving us a chance to win a lot of ballgames. It starts with them, and he¡¯s been in the middle of all that.¡±

The Yankees are considering their options for a potential postseason rotation. Gerrit Cole would be the likely Game 1 starter, with Stroman, Cortes, Carlos Rod¨®n, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt all possibilities to be slotted in behind the ace.

¡°We¡¯ll keep evaluating moving forward,¡± Boone said.