Yankees long-term plan with Luis Gil will make fans cringe, but is the right call

It felt as if the New York Yankees' chances of winning the AL East were over before the 2024 campaign began with their ace, Gerrit Cole, expected to miss at least the first couple of months of the season.

Relying on the likes of Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes Jr., and Marcus Stroman didn't feel great on paper, but New York's rotation has been among the league's best all season and has led them to a 35-17 record. The Yankees lead the majors in staff ERA and are third in starting pitcher ERA. That's without Cole.

The reigning AL Cy Young winner hasn't gone out on a rehab assignment but he is working his way back from his injury and should be back sometime in the not-too-distant future. Once Cole does come back, the question is who will he replace in what has been an elite rotation?

The answer that The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal gave on the Foul Territory podcast is not one that Yankees fans will want to hear, but it's the right one.

Yankees plan with Luis Gil is frustrating but the right one

Rosenthal believes that the Yankees will have Luis Gil make the switch from starter to reliever when Cole makes his return. That's not what Yankees fans want to hear, but it's the right call to make.

After shutting out the Seattle Mariners for 6.1 dominant innings, Gil now has a 2.11 ERA in 10 starts and 55.1 innings of work. He's only gotten better as the season has progressed. It feels insane to claim that a pitcher with those gaudy numbers should go to the bullpen, but that's the reality of this situation.

Obviously, Gil doesn't deserve to be moved to the bullpen. He's been one of the best pitchers in the American League so far this season, and again, is only getting better. However, by moving him to the 'pen when Cole gets back, the Yankees can limit his workload.

The 25-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022 and threw just four innings last season. He has never thrown more than 96 innings in a single minor league season and is already more than halfway to that total in late May.

As Rosenthal notes, the Yankees don't have a hard innings cap on Gil, but they also should want to make sure he stays healthy for the postseason and beyond. He's becoming an important piece for the organization, and the last thing they want is for him to get hurt because of a major workload increase.

This decision would be tougher to make if the Yankees had anyone struggling, but they simply don't. Clarke Schmidt, their No. 5 starter entering the season, has a 2.59 ERA. Cortes has the highest ERA of any Yankees starter at 3.29. That's better than some team's aces.

New York has an embarrassment of riches in the starting pitching department and that allows them to consider making a decision like this with Gil. If someone gets hurt, perhaps the plan will change. For now, removing Gil from the rotation when Cole returns makes the most sense.