The New York Yankees have yet to catch a break on the rotation front.
Aside from a Cy Young-level start to the campaign from Max Fried, it has been pretty grim in the pitching department for New York. Gerrit Cole is out for the year as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Devin Williams, their prized offseason addition at closer, has a 6.00 ERA through six innings. It's unclear how much longer Carlos Rodón, Carlos Carrasco and Will Warren can cling to their rotation spots.
To top it all off, the Yankees are now dealing with an injury setback for Luis Gil, the 26-year-old righty who took home American League Rookie of the Year honors a season ago. Gil made 29 starts for the Yankees in 2024, logging a 3.50 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. He put up 171 strikeouts in 151.2 innings pitched, in the 77th percentile for K rate.
Gil was diagnosed with a high-grade lat strain before his first spring training start. He was on track for a season debut in the near future, but now the Yankees are extending his IL stint for another 10 days.
"It’s just the level of healing," Aaron Boone told SNY. "So it’s got to get to, I don’t know, 80 percent. When they start, there are checkmarks of when you start the throwing program. It’s going how it should, it’s just we need another 10 days."
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Yankees push back Luis Gil's return from injury as rotation hits keep coming
New York's limited aggression in free agency, aside from the Max Fried signing, has come back to haunt them. Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner were always going to tap out at a certain point, but the Cole injury left a glaring hole in the Yankees' rotation. Now, with Gil slow-playing his return, the Yanks are stuck with a feeble pitching staff in baseball's toughest division.
Overall, it's hard to complain about a 10-7 record and first place in the AL East, but the Yankees' fatal flaws are lurking right beneath the surface. Not only are the starters prone to mucking up the scoreboard, but the bullpen has been one long sequence of trial and error for Boone. Until Devin Williams settles into his typically elite rhythms, it probably won't get much better.
Gil was not universally praised last season, as he went through his share of ups and downs, as most rookies do. He led the American League in walks (77) and didn't really operate effectively outside the zone. He has elite strikeout stuff, but Gil also catches a ton of barrels and gives up his share of home runs. When you're running atop the league and basking in the glory of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto every night, however, it's much easier to be picky about these sorts of things.
Now, Yankees fans would love to get Gil back in the rotation, even if it's just a carbon copy of his 2024 production. For all his warts, he made 29 starts in his first full season and was overwhelmingly a positive presence, with a fastball in the upper 90s and a healthy mix of sliders and changeups to keep hitters in flux.
Hopefully this is a minor setback for a major comeback, but Gil can't rejoin the Yankees rotation soon enough.
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