Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil shut down for at least 6 weeks with high-grade lat strain
Luis Gil, the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year Award winner, has been shut down for at least six weeks with a high-grade lat strain, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters late Monday afternoon.
Gil finished the 2024 season with a career-high 151 2/3 innings pitched in his first year after Tommy John surgery. Boone said he did not think Gil's workload last season was a contributing factor to the pitcher's injury, which was sustained while throwing a bullpen Friday when he initially experienced tightness in his shoulder.
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The Yankees chose not to place an arbitrary innings limit on Gil in 2024 because they have other ways of tangibly examining the health of their players, most notably with force plate testing in the weight room and noticing demonstrably different changes in their mechanics, such as a pitcher dropping his arm slot.
Gil won't throw for the next six weeks and will need a full spring training after to build back up as a starting pitcher. That likely means a best-case scenario of Gil returning at the end of May if there are zero setbacks.
'He seems great,' Boone said of Gil's mindset. 'I was just talking to him and making sure his heart and mind (are) in the right place. We got to get this right. He's been down this road before and proven himself. It's different, obviously. I think he's in the right frame of mind to go attack it and get right.'
When Gil was in the minor leagues, he missed the entirety of the 2016 season because of shoulder surgery. This is now the third major injury of Gil's professional career. Boone did not rule out an even longer timetable for Gil's possible return because he's still gathering additional opinions from doctors. Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt missed over three months last season with a lat strain. In 2023, Luis Severino missed two months with a lower-grade lat strain than Gil's.
Veteran starter Marcus Stroman is expected to take Gil's spot in the rotation. The Yankees have tried trading Stroman this offseason to reduce payroll, but they did not find any takers for a pitcher who struggled mightily in the second half of 2024. In his final 17 starts of the season, Stroman pitched to a 5.70 ERA and was one of MLB's least effective starters. Stroman has an $18 million vesting option for the 2026 season if he pitches 140 innings in 2025.
The Yankees' starting pitching depth has already been tested early in spring training. JT Brubaker fractured three ribs trying to get out of the way of a line drive that hit him in the back. Carlos Carrasco, the 37-year-old veteran, remains in camp as a non-roster invitee. It's possible the Yankees could keep him in Triple A as depth if he accepts a minor-league assignment. Will Warren, one of the top Yankees' prospects, has shined so far and figures to factor into the rotation at some point this season if and when other injuries pop up. Allan Winans is another non-roster invitee who's expected to start the season in Triple A.
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Gil was expected to be an impactful starter for the Yankees after shining in 2024. For the first three months of last season, there was early Cy Young buzz and chatter of him possibly starting the All-Star Game for the American League. Now, the Yankees face the possibility of being without one of their key players for at least a few months.
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