Ryan Garcia
The Yankees have officially made a move that everyone was expecting ahead of their first matchup with the Rays, as Luis Gil has been recalled from Triple-A.
As a corresponding move, Cade Winquest has been placed on waivers due to being designated for assignment, which will likely result in a return to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Yankees would DFA their Rule 5 Draft pick, and he will be sent back to the Cardinals without making his Major League debut.
Gil is taking the mound for a rather important outing after the team dropped two-straight to the Athletics, but his spot on the roster is also in question with the returns of Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole not being too far away.
READ MORE: Yankees’ Luis Serna could be their next top pitching prospect
Luis Gil Re-Joins Yankees’ Rotation, Cade Winquest Cut From Bullpen
There’s a lot riding on these next few weeks for Luis Gil, who lost his rotation spot temporarily when the Yankees chose to roll with a four-man group to open the season.
It was a public declaration that they viewed Ryan Weathers and Will Warren as better options, and that statement has aged fairly well through their first three turns through the rotation.
Gil made a start for the Scranton RailRiders where he struggled mightily, sitting around 93 MPH and topping out at 96 MPH in some cold weather up in Rochester.
One of the new tweaks to his repertoire that could help him reverse his recent woes is the addition of a new sinker which has a distinct movement pattern compared to his four-seamer.
If this new sinker helps him become more deceptive and keep hitters off-balance, he could be keep his rotation spot for a longer portion of the season than initially expected.
Fair or not, his runway to prove himself will be much shorter than Warren or Weathers and he will need to prove himself almost immediately due to the expected returns of Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole.
Rodon could begin a rehab assignment soon and track to return in early May while Cole’s potential target date is more up in the air.
The decision to not place him on the 60-day IL would indicate a return before June isn’t out of the window, which would certainly put the pressure for immediate results from Gil.
More about:New York Yankees
