The New York Yankees sent down Luis Gil earlier this week, opening a spot in the starting rotation. Manager Aaron Boone broke the news on the Talkin’ Yanks podcast that right-hander Elmer Rodriguez will be promoted to fill the spot. Rodriguez is expected to be called up to make his MLB debut on Wednesday, April 29, against the Texas Rangers.
The latest Yankees news means flame-throwing right-hander Carlos Lagrange will have to wait his turn for a promotion. Rodriguez is a nice consolation prize for New York fans. MLB Pipeline ranks the 22-year-old third among the organization’s prospects, behind only Lagrange and infielder George Lombard Jr.
FanGraphs portrays Rodriguez as a future middle-of-the-rotation arm with a plus fastball and a pair of solid breaking balls. He’s been dominant at Triple-A to begin the year, posting a 1.27 ERA across four starts.
New York Yankees News Update: Elmer Rodriguez Heading to the Big Leagues
New York acquired Rodriguez from their division rival, the Boston Red Sox, in a December 2024 trade. Boston received catcher Carlos Narvaez in the swap. The Red Sox took Rodriguez in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. As an 18-year-old, Rodriguez posted strong numbers in his first taste of pro ball in 2022. He missed half of the 2023 campaign due to injury, but came back the following year and continued to provide solid production.
The Yankees landed Rodriguez by parting with a depth piece at a position of strength. Narvaez was unlikely to stick with the big-league club due to the presence of Austin Wells behind the plate. New York also had Ben Rice on the way, with J.C. Escarra available as a backup option. The move paid off for Boston in 2025. Narvaez earned the majority of the starter reps over a struggling Connor Wong. The backstop posted a solid 97 wRC+ across 446 plate appearances.
Yankees Ditch Gil After Four Starts
Gil is the roster casualty for Rodriguez. Technically, he went down when outfielder Jasson Dominguez was recalled, but that move was more about Giancarlo Stanton’s injury. The Yankees placed Stanton on the injured list today.
With several off-days early in the schedule, the Yankees chose to bump Gil from the Opening Day roster in favor of an extra reliever. The right-hander was recalled once the club needed a fifth starter. Gil struggled mightily in his four starts. The Tampa Bay Rays tagged him for three earned runs over four innings in his first appearance of the season. The Los Angeles Angels got to him for four earned runs across five frames in his next start.
Gil gave the Yankees reason for optimism in his third game of the campaign. The righty delivered 6.1 scoreless innings in a dominant win over the Red Sox. He earned his first victory of the year. The lone blemish that game was an uninspiring 2:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The issue continued in Gil’s final outing, a six-run debacle against the Houston Astros. Gil walked three and did not manage a strikeout. He heads back to the minors with a concerning 9:11 K:BB.
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