Andres Chavez
The New York Yankees decided to open the 2026 campaign with four starters and nine relief pitchers. The calendar dictated that they wouldn’t need a fifth member of the rotation until the weekend of April 10-12, so they decided to beef up their bullpen instead and start the year with Luis Gil in the minors.
It wasn’t a punishment for Gil, who did have an uneven spring but closed it on a high note, recovering his velocity during his last start on March 20 and tossing five scoreless frames with one walk and seven strikeouts.
It was more of a strategic decision and a consequence of the Yankees having four superior, more reliable starters.
Boone Reveals Return Date For Gil
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said earlier this week that Gil would start this weekend for Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and return next weekend. His exact, officiall return date has now been revealed.
“The Yankees plan to have Luis Gil return to the rotation on April 10 at Tropicana Field, Aaron Boone said,” Yanks insider Bryan Hoch posted on X.
Gil will take the ball on Sunday to make his first start of the year for the RailRiders, but it looks like it will be just one before he is re-inserted on the roster, probably at the expense of Cade Winquest, unless there is a surprise.
The Yankees Would Love To See Gil Pitching Like It Is 2024 Again
Gil won the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Award with a 3.50 ERA and 171 strikeouts, yet he regressed last year despite a seemingly better 3.32 ERA. His K-BB% went from 14.8 in his award-winning campaign to a paltry 3.3 percent in 2025.
Now that he has found the mechanical tweak to unlock his full velocity again, Gil carries significant potential to contribute this year if he can keep that fastball between the 96-97 mph range. He will need to perform, because when Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon are healthy enough to return themselves, the Yankees will need to make some decisions.
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