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The New York Yankees have surged to the second-most wins in MLB and, while they are certainly being fueled by the slugging prowess of Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and company, their rotation has been the most surprising strength given the absence of franchise ace Gerrit Cole.
The team has the best ERA in the big leagues at 2.81, even with Cole opening the season on the injured list. Perhaps the biggest surprise on the mound has been rookie Luis Gil, who broke Orlando Hernandez’s franchise record for the most strikeouts by a rookie pitcher when he fanned 14 in his most recent start.
But as Cole prepares for the next step in his return, Gil’s astounding start might not be enough to keep him in the starting rotation.
“Manager Aaron Boone will have a difficult decision to make regarding who moves to the bullpen when Cole returns, which is still several weeks away,” Chris Kirschner reported for The Athletic. “While Gil doesn’t have a traditional innings limit, his workload will be monitored, which means he’s the likeliest candidate to lose his spot in the rotation.”
The New York Yankees Will Likely Be Careful With Luis Gil
Gil leads the staff in strikeouts, ERA and opposing batting average. But he missed all of the 2023 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and had only pitched 33.1 innings in his career up to that point. As a result, the Yankees might opt to relegate him to the bullpen or even to the minor leagues to preserve his health as they march toward the playoffs.
“While the Yankees won’t suddenly bring Gil’s season to an abrupt halt altogether once he reaches a certain amount of innings this summer, they do need to be mindful of how the 25-year-old is responding to pitching every five days,” Max Goodman noted for NJ.com. “A move to the bullpen (or a trip down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) would be the best way to limit his innings and preserve his bullets.”
On a performance basis, though, Nestor Cortes would seem like the likelier candidate for a relegation to make room for Cole. He has a 3.56 ERA and just two wins in 10 starts so far for the Yankees. But if the team feels like they still have a chance to win when he’s on the mound, taking a conservative approach with Gil would make sense from a long-term perspective as well. As a rookie, he’s making just $750,000 this season and will be under team control for a few more years, so his arm might be seen by the front office as a long-term investment.
The New York Yankees Might Not Have a Clear-Cut Decision When Gerrit Cole Returns
Still, a lot can happen between now and a potential return to the staff for Cole. The veteran has progressed to throwing bullpen sessions lately and the next step could be to face live batters this week. But he’s not eligible to return from the injured list until late May and will still need to face batters in a rehab assignment before joining the big-league staff, so a return in the middle of June seems most likely.
A lot can change between now and then for the Yankees.
“Speaking of injuries, there’s always the possibility that someone gets hurt from now until when Cole is back,” Goodman added. “Cortes, Carlos Rodón and Marcus Stroman were all impeded by injuries last season. Their histories on the IL make it hard to anticipate that all three will be able to stay healthy for the entire year.”
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