We’ve yet to find out who the Yankees will turn to as their fifth starter, but today gave us a glimpse as to how fierce the battle has become for the job. Hosting the Mets in a Subway Series contest at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees would have Luis Gil take the ball as their starter as he hoped to build an even stronger case for his spot on the roster. It’s possible that he could steal a job in the bullpen if he were to lose the rotation battle, and he would continue to flash incredible upside after a string of dominant outings.
Piggybacking him would be Will Warren, who is also battling for a spot in their rotation, and with these two on a collision course for a position battle, they would match each other pitch-for-pitch in the Yankees’ 5-3 win over the Mets.
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Luis Gil would open the afternoon with a clean first inning, and he was masterful in his four innings of work, with the only blemish being a two-run shot off the bat of Mark Vientos in the second inning. The right-hander collected five strikeouts, sitting 97.2 MPH while hitting 99 MPH on the radar gun, as his fastball generated five whiffs in 13 swings (38%). He would walk two batters, but he was tinkering more with his slider than he had in previous outings, and he seemed poised despite the home run while navigating through a Mets’ lineup featuring Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso.
He has had a brilliant Spring Training, and it’s hard to imagine how the Yankees could justify leaving him off of their roster, even if he was limited to a reliever role. Aaron Boone mentioned a potential innings limit this season, and it’s possible that the Yankees could keep him within those limits by having him in the bullpen as a multi-inning option who makes spot starts when needed. His stuff is electric, and the Yankees have a tough decision to make between him and fellow right-hander Will Warren.
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Will Warren would fire five innings of one-run baseball, and while he didn’t have any strikeouts on his ledger, he was able to keep the ball on the ground and consistently keep the Mets off balance. The sinker was relied upon more than usual as he didn’t seem to have a great feel for the rest of his arsenal, and it allowed him to navigate through the lineup efficiently. The Yankees only needed two pitchers today, both of whom are strong choices to be their fifth starter this season.
The offense got things going in the third inning, as Giancarlo Stanton wrapped a single into left field for their first run, as the slugger had a walk in his 1-3 performance on the day. Jose Trevino, who had a two-hit day and caught all nine innings, tied the game on a single up the middle in the fourth inning, and while the Yankees would fall behind 3-2 after the fifth, a huge sixth inning would put them ahead for good. Kevin Smith would chop a ball to third that Brett Baty misread the hop on, scoring two runs and giving the Yankees a 4-3 lead that would become 5-3 after a Gleyber Torres RBI single.
It was an encouraging game for the Yankees, who will have a tough decision to make regarding these two talented right-handers as they draw closer to Opening Day. They’ll continue the rotation battle with Cody Poteet, who has an outside shot at the job, takes the ball on the road in Lakeland against the Detroit Tigers at 1:05 PM EST.