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New York Times
03-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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.
New York Times
17-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Why the Yankees gave Jasson Domínguez a special locker inside their clubhouse
TAMPA, Fla. — When Jasson Domínguez first entered the New York Yankees' spring-training clubhouse this offseason, he immediately noticed his locker was sandwiched between two MVP winners. Domínguez has prime real estate in the back right corner that's usually reserved for the club's most prominent position players, a telltale sign of how much the Yankees believe in the 22-year-old's future. Advertisement On Domínguez's left inside the Yankees' clubhouse is two-time MVP Aaron Judge. On his right is 2019 National League MVP Cody Bellinger. Combined, Judge and Bellinger have 17 years of big-league experience. Both were hyped prospects. In Judge's case, the superstar mightily struggled in his first major-league stint with the Yankees in 2016, striking out in 44 percent of his plate appearances. Judge revamped his swing that offseason, then rebounded to hit 52 home runs and win the American League Rookie of the Year Award. Bellinger debuted with the Los Angeles Dodgers at 21 years old in 2017, hit 39 home runs and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Both players have experiences that can greatly benefit Domínguez. Judge knows what playing with pressure and expectations in New York is like. Bellinger has won a World Series and experienced the lowest of lows two years after winning the MVP: The Dodgers non-tendered him. So, the Yankees decided when laying out the locker assignments that Domínguez should take over where Anthony Rizzo was once stationed. 'I looked in the clubhouse and saw my locker next to Judge and Bellinger, I was kind of surprised,' Domínguez said Monday morning. 'It's a good thing to be in that group and be able to learn from them.' Jasson Domínguez absolutely hammers one over the wall off Carlos Rodón — Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) February 17, 2025 Domínguez is expected to be the Yankees' starting left fielder when the new season opens. He's gotten a crash course on the position this offseason, and he said he's becoming more comfortable reading different angles off the bat. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he's 'hoping and expecting he's a big part of things this year.' The hopes are so high that he's one of the candidates who could lead off for the Yankees on Opening Day. The Yankees believe in his ability to get on base and be a table-setter for Judge. Advertisement 'He's definitely a five-tool player,' Judge said of Domínguez. 'The sky is the limit for him. 'Me and Bellinger were joking with him about, 'Hey, you have two Rookie of the Years right next to you. This is going to be your year. You go out there and do your thing, something special is going to happen.' We're definitely going to be on him and try to be a good resource and just be good mentors to him.' In the Yankees' first full team workout on Monday, Domínguez clobbered a home run from the right side of the plate off Carlos Rodón. Domínguez turned on a fastball at the top of the zone, which opened the eyes of everyone at George M. Steinbrenner Field because that's his weaker side. Domínguez said he felt 'lost' from the right side of the plate last season; he had a paltry .510 OPS in 65 minor league at-bats from the right side. Boone said Domínguez is further along in his development from the left side than the right, but he believes he'll have the ability to control the strike zone just as well from the right side as his career advances. He wouldn't commit to playing Domínguez against tough left-handed pitchers just yet, but there's optimism that he will be an impactful player for the Yankees on both sides of the plate. A look around the Yankees clubhouse — Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) February 13, 2025 'It's live BP, but that's a pretty good pass to show you he's got power right-handed like he does left-handed,' Boone said. 'I think over time, we'll look up and he'll be a guy who's still switch hitting years from now and a factor at switch hitting.' In 2016, Carlos Beltrán requested Judge's locker should be next to his corner space during spring training. Beltrán, who was 39 at the time, said the reason he wanted Judge next to him was because he knew that he'd eventually become the face of the franchise. It's too early to know if that distinction will ever come one day for Domínguez, but it's obvious the Yankees hope The Martian's locker is in the back right corner for the next decade-plus.
