New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced on Sunday that Luis Gil will be the fifth starter in the team's rotation to open the season, according to Greg Joyce of the New York Post.
The Yankees went into spring training planning on having a rotation that consisted of Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortes and Clarke Schmidt. But with Gerrit Cole dealing with his elbow injury that is expected to keep him out 1-2 months, Aaron Boone and the Yankees needed to make a decision on who would be the fifth starter.
Luis Gil competed with players like Luke Weaver, Clayton Beeter and Will Warren for the role. He was not on the radar very much due to not pitching any meaningful innings at the major league level since 2021, as he needed to receive Tommy John surgery. In the end, it was a no-brainer decision for Boone to give the role to Gil.
Luke Weaver was brought back as a veteran who could fill the fifth starter role or pitch in the bullpen. However, he had a few shaky outings in spring training and dealt with a neck issue that kept him out of games for a bit. Clayton Beeter would have made sense, but he does not have any major league experience, although he will likely see time this season, whether it be as a starter or out of the bullpen. Will Warren is a pitcher the Yankees really like, but he had a recent rough outing against the Boston Red Sox in spring, and he is not on the 40-man roster, so it would require more work to have him on the team for the first time through the rotation.
Room will need to be made for Gil on the roster, but his performance justifies doing that.
Luis Gil's road back from Tommy John surgery and great spring performance
A couple of years ago in 2021, Gil had the Yankees and their fans really optimistic about him being a long-term piece for the team. He made six starts for New York down the stretch in 2021, and pitched to the tune of a 3.07 ERA in those games, helping the Yankees win some key games late in the season to sneak into a wild card spot in the American League. There were some valid concerns about Gil's walk rate at the time and general command, but for a young pitcher to come in and perform the way he did was promising for the future.
Gil started just one game with the Yankees in 2022, throwing four innings and giving up four runs, before it was revealed that he needed to undergo Tommy John surgery. That kept him out for the rest of the 2022 season, and limited him to just two games with the Low-A Tampa Tarpons in 2023. Gil came to spring training ready to reestablish his standing in the Yankees organization and as a valuable pitcher for the future.
He did just that, pitching in five games and posting a 2.87 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched, according to MLB.com. Gil impressed in the five games he pitched, and the March 11 game against the Philadelphia Phillies stands out. He threw 3.2 shutout innings, giving up just one hit and one walk.
In the end, it was an easy decision to give Gil the fifth starter role. We will likely first see him make his first start in about a week when the Yankees go on the road to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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