The New York Yankees suffered a gut punch on Monday afternoon as right-handed pitcher Luis Gil was diagnosed with a high-grade right lat strain, per manager Aaron Boone. He will not throw a baseball for at least six weeks.
Gil, 26, pulled himself from a bullpen session on Friday after just a few pitches due to discomfort in his throwing shoulder. He underwent an MRI later that afternoon and the results revealed the severity of the issue.
The flamethrower is coming off a historic rookie campaign in which he became the 10th player in franchise history to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award. He was the first Yankee to win it since captain Aaron Judge in 2017, and the first pitcher in pinstripes to take it home since Dave Righetti in 1981.
Gil had a stellar first season in pinstripes. Over 29 starts, he boasted a 3.50 ERA with 171 strikeouts over 151.2 innings pitched. He led the American League in opponent’s batting average (.189) and was fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.).
He was a prevalent arm for the Bombers as they marched to their first World Series in 15 years. Across a pair of postseason starts in the ALDS and Fall Classic, the young phenom gave up six runs over eight innings.
The sidelining of Gil is another detrimental loss for the Yankees this spring. The club is already planning on entering Opening Day without the reigning ALCS MVP Giancarlo Stanton, who will begin the season on the IL after suffering tennis elbow in both his elbows.
As Gil recovers, it’s likely that right-hander Marcus Stroman will round out the starting rotation for the foreseeable future. The 33-year-old will join forces with Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt as the club awaits Gil’s return.
