Andres Chavez
Despite showing improved velocity and much better results in his last spring training outing on March 20 against the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees right-hander Luis Gil wasn’t part of the initial rotation and didn’t break camp with the roster.
Instead, he stayed in Florida getting ready to rejoin the roster later this month. After a dominant opening week, the Yankees have announced their immediate plans with Gil.
“Luis Gil is headed to join the RailRiders, where he is expected to make a start this weekend, putting him in line to rejoin the Yankees when they need a fifth starter (by April 11),” NY Post’s Greg Joyce posted on X.
Finding His Stride
Gil, who put up a 3.32 ERA last year but struggled with walks and a lack of strikeouts, showed diminished velocity for most of the spring, sitting in the 94-95 mph range instead of the 96.6 mph he averaged in 2024, when he was crowned the American League’s Rookie of the Year.
In that last outing against Baltimore this spring, his four-seamer averaged 96.8 mph and touched 98.8 mph, which is basically vintage Gil velocity.
Still, it wasn’t enough to get him a spot on the Opening Day rotation, as he finished the Grapefruit League with a 4.66 ERA in 19.1 frames.
Gil Is Nearing His 2026 Debut With The Yankees
After spending a few days preparing to start, the Yankees announced he will do so this weekend for the Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. After that, Gil will likely rejoin the Yankees after their homestand, as they ‘visit’ the Tampa Bay Rays for an April 10-12 series.
Gil appears to have found the perfect mechanics on that last spring start, but he will need to prove it on a major league mound. Despite his mediocre 13.5 percent walk rate and 16.8 percent strikeout rate last year, the right-hander still boasts elite potential.
If he can keep his velocity in that 96-97 range, he could be a huge factor as the Yankees try to win their first World Series trophy since 2009.
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