Alexander Wilson
The game that was supposed to be Luis Gil’s audition for the Opening Day rotation turned into something close to a genuine disaster.
The New York Yankees dropped a 12-1 decision to the Detroit Tigers on Sunday at Steinbrenner Field, losing in every sense. Gil lasted three innings, gave up nine hits, seven earned runs, and three home runs. On the other side, Framber Valdez, the Tigers’ new $115 million lefty, threw five shutout innings against a Yankees lineup that could not figure him out. New York’s only run came in the bottom of the ninth, after it was very much over.
Gil Is a Genuine Problem Right Now
There is no soft way to frame what happened. Spencer Torkelson hit a three-run shot in the first inning. Matt Vierling took Gil deep for two more in the second. Riley Greene launched a 438-foot solo homer in the third. The inning ended with Gil’s afternoon already over, his ERA sitting at 6.28 through three spring starts, and the Bronx collectively asking out loud what the team’s fifth starter is supposed to look like in April.
Gil was the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year. He has a plus fastball when healthy and command issues in ideal circumstances. What he is right now is a pitcher still working his way back from the lat strain that cost him four months in 2025, and based on what Sunday showed, the mend is not complete. Three home runs in three innings against a real lineup is a different category of ugly than a high ERA.
Yankees reporter Bryan Hoch noted after the game that because of off-days, New York will not need a fifth starter in the first turn through the rotation. That framing is notable. The Yankees are already accounting for the possibility that Gil will not be ready, and time to prove otherwise is nearly gone.
Ryan Yarbrough provided three clean innings in relief and prevented the game from becoming a complete organizational embarrassment. He is a lefty specialist and depth arm, not a rotation option, but at least he did his job.
Valdez Makes His Case Against the Wrong Team
Meanwhile, Framber Valdez went out and did exactly what a $115 million pitcher is supposed to do. Five innings, four hits, zero runs, three strikeouts, no walks, and a 0.75 spring ERA for the Tigers’ most expensive offseason acquisition. He was not overpowering. He did not need to be. The Yankees never sustained any real pressure against him, and he was off the mound by the fifth inning with his pitch count barely touched.
The Tigers signed Valdez to pair with Tarik Skubal at the top of a rotation built to make a deep October run. If Sunday is any indication, that pair is going to be a serious problem for the AL East come October.
What Comes Next
Opening Day is less than two weeks away. The Yankees will carry Gil on their roster, and they have no real choice given how many starters are already on the injured list. But the conversation about what role he occupies, rotation starter or long reliever, is not hypothetical anymore. Sunday made it concrete and pressing.
Zach Messinger allowed five runs in a single inning of relief, though as a camp depth arm his spring numbers carry less weight. Jonathan Ornelas singled in the ninth to score Zack Short for the only run of the day. It was a small mercy.
The Yankees fall to 13-9. The roster deadline is close. The rotation does not look settled at all.
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