Luis Gil reappears
Luis Gil threw 5 scoreless innings with 7 strikeouts in Friday’s 3–1 Grapefruit League win over the Orioles — Aaron Boone said Gil “looked like 2024 Luis Gil” and his electric fastball resurfaced. That final spring start boosts the Yankees’ rotation depth picture heading into Opening Day. (mlb.com)
Across 11 1/3 Grapefruit League innings this spring, Gil has recorded 15 strikeouts and issued three walks, showing the strikeout-to-walk profile the Yankees highlighted in camp. (mlb.com) His four-seamer averaged 95.5 mph in the March 10 Grapefruit League outing, compared with a 95.3 mph average listed for his 2025 season on Statcast, indicating a measurable uptick in camp velocity. (mlb.com (baseballsavant.mlb.com)) Gil was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2024 after a 15-7 season with a 3.50 ERA and 171 strikeouts, a benchmark the club and player have publicly referenced for 2026 expectations. (mlb.com) He was limited to 11 starts in 2025 by a lat strain and, coming out of that season, agreed to a one-year, $2.16 million contract with the Yankees to avoid arbitration. (cbssports.com) Yankees coverage notes Gil “appears to be locked into an Opening Day rotation spot” while Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt are all expected to begin the season on the injured list, creating immediate opportunity in New York’s five-man group. (cbssports.com) Some outlets — including Sports Illustrated — have proposed the club could still option Gil to Triple-A to manage his workload and preserve depth, making early-season roster construction a live decision for the Yankees. (si.com)
