The New York Yankees’ annual flurry of injuries is back in full swing; this time, it’s affecting mainly the pitching staff. Outside of the Giancarlo Stanton conundrum along with the minor issues surrounding Trent Grisham and Jorbit Vivas, the injury bug has bit Chase Hampton, Clarke Schmidt, Scott Effross, Jake Cousins, Clarke Schmidt, Clayton Beeter and now Luis Gil.
Focusing on the Major-League rotation, Clarke Schmidt’s debacle appears nearly over. He has thrown bullpen sessions and his sore back appears well. The other Major-League starter on this list, Luis Gil, has just gone down with shoulder tightness. He is set to undergo an MRI scan on Saturday.
As of now, we don’t know what to make of this injury. If it is serious, the rotation will take a large hit. Gil impressed during his third MLB stint, throwing to a 3.50 ERA with 171 strikeouts through 151.2 innings winning the AL Rookie of the Year award. More importantly, he served as the Yankees’ breakout ace during Gerrit Cole’s absence while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Hopefully, the discomfort is only a minor, temporary issue, but assuming it is, Gil might still miss some time. If he does, a stint in Triple-A to start the season might be warranted to get him re-vamped before he takes the mound for the Yankees. Either way, this would leave the rotation with a key opening; one that could be filled by the Yankees’ top pitching prospect.
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Will Warren has a path to a roster spot with Luis Gil injury
Will Warren, the Yankees’ No. 5 prospect and top hurler in their farm system, now has a shot to make the roster, not as a reliever, but as a starter. The 25-year-old righty boasts an electric pitch mix featuring a stunning sweeper offset by a pair of robust heaters. His changeup is also a plus offering, but only mildly.
He utilized his arsenal to devastating effect in 2023 when he posted a 3.35 ERA across 129 innings in Double-A and Triple-A. When his stuff is working, Warren is a dominant starter. Unfortunately, in 2024, this wasn’t the case. Warren posted a 5.91 ERA through 109.2 innings in his latest AAA campaign. His first glimpse of big-league ball last season went even worse; Warren gave up 26 earned runs in 22.1 innings. He still flashed electric offerings during his brief Major-League stint, but he was unable to hit his mark with any level of consistency, giving up 33 hits and 10 walks in that short time.
This spring, Warren is showing substantial signs of shaking off his rough year.
In his first two spring training appearances of 2025, Warren’s dominance was on full display; striking out seven batters, giving up only one hit, issuing one walk and surrendering no runs in five innings of work.
Already, we’ve seen Warren making an amazing second impression. Now, with the latest injury to Gil, we will likely see how his early spring training success translates to the Majors.