Yankees' Luis Gil: Odd man out to begin season
Pitching coach Matt Blake said Sunday that Gil won't be in line for a starting role to begin the season while the Yankees plan to get by with a four-man rotation for the first 13 days of their schedule, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. "He'd like to be a starter with us, so it's frustrating," Blake said. "But at the same time, he understands the position we're in with the way the schedule lines up for the first two weeks."
The Yankees won't need a fifth starter until April 11, so Gil would appear to be tentatively in line to make his first start of the season that day against the Rays. According to Blake, the team hasn't decided whether Gil will be sent to the minors over the first two weeks, or if he'll be used in a piggyback/long-relief role until he's needed in the rotation. After missing the first four months of the 2025 season while recovering from a lat strain, Gil went on to go 4-1 with a 3.32 ERA and 41:33 K:BB in 57 innings over his 11 starts with the Yankees. He's looked sharper this spring, submitting a 19:4 K:BB in 14.1 innings during the Grapefruit League.
