NEW YORK — For a pitcher who collected the American League Rookie of the Year award less than two years ago, Luis Gil’s standing with the New York Yankees has never felt shakier. And somewhere up in Scranton, a 22-year-old with a 1.15 ERA is making sure everyone knows it.
Gil’s struggles put rotation spot in doubt
The 2024 season felt like the start of something special for the Yankees. Gil burst onto the scene with a 15-7 record and a 3.50 ERA over 29 starts, lighting up hitters and earning a spot among the AL’s best young arms. But that version of Gil has not shown up since.
An injury-marred 2025 campaign limited him to just 11 starts and 57 innings. His ERA stayed at 3.32, but the underlying numbers told a grim story. Strikeout rate fell from 10.15 per nine innings in 2024 to just 6.47. His walk rate ballooned. His fastball lost velocity. Advanced metrics pointed to a pitcher in trouble, with his xFIP climbing north of 5.65.
Spring training 2026 offered no reassurances. Gil posted a 4.66 ERA across 19 1/3 innings in six Grapefruit League starts. He surrendered six home runs and was yanked from the Yankees’ Opening Day roster entirely, sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to work things out.
He made his 2026 MLB debut on April 10 against the Tampa Bay Rays after Aaron Boone’s Yankees ran a four-man rotation to open the season. The outing did not ease any concerns. Gil allowed three earned runs in four innings, walked three batters and gave up a home run. His four-seam fastball averaged just 95.1 mph, down from 96.6 mph during his Rookie of the Year campaign.
After the Rays start, Boone acknowledged Gil’s command issues. The Yankees manager noted the pitcher’s inconsistency on the mound, and those concerns have yet to quiet down.
Elmer Rodriguez is making a compelling case
While Gil has searched for answers, a younger arm in the Yankees system has been providing them.
Elmer Rodriguez, ranked No. 3 among Yankees prospects and No. 74 on MLB Pipeline’s overall Top 100, delivered another dominant performance Wednesday night. Pitching for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre against Syracuse, the 22-year-old right-hander struck out six batters over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a 4-1 RailRiders win at NBT Bank Stadium.
Rodriguez threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 21 batters he faced and logged a season-high 80 pitches, 49 of which were strikes. He allowed just a single and a hit batter in the first inning before escaping through a double play, then cruised through the final 4 2/3 innings allowing only a pair of walks and an infield single.
His sinker and four-seam fastball did most of the damage, accounting for 63.8 percent of his pitch mix for the night. Over three starts in 2026, Rodriguez has thrown 15 2/3 innings while posting a 1.15 ERA and recording 13 strikeouts.
That 1.15 ERA is not a fluke. It builds on a 2025 season that saw Rodriguez finish second in the minor leagues with 176 strikeouts, averaging 10.6 punchouts per nine innings across a combined High-A and Double-A schedule. He went 11-1 with a 2.58 ERA and a 176-to-57 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 150 innings, holding opponents to a .192 batting average. He also made one Triple-A start late in the year, giving him a taste of the level where he now dominates.
A trade origin and a prospect on the rise
Rodriguez’s path to the Bronx began with a 2024 Winter Meetings deal between division rivals. The Yankees sent catcher Carlos Narvaez and international bonus slot money to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for the then-unheralded Rodriguez. Boston had drafted the Puerto Rico-born right-hander in the fourth round in 2021, but the Yankees saw something the Red Sox were willing to trade away.
Rodriguez stood 6 feet 4 and weighed in at 177 pounds when the deal was made. He quickly rewarded the Yankees’ front office with that record-setting 2025 minor league season. This spring he impressed during a pair of Yankees Grapefruit League starts and carried that momentum straight into the Triple-A regular season.
While his strikeout totals have moderated slightly this season compared to last year’s historic pace, he is generating more contact-management results through early counts. On Wednesday, Rodriguez generated nine whiffs on 36 swings faced, a sign that his stuff remains swing-and-miss caliber.
The door may open sooner than expected
The Yankees’ rotation picture is complicated. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon both started 2026 on the injured list recovering from elbow surgeries. Their expected returns will force Yankees roster decisions regardless of how the current four-man unit performs. Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Ryan Weathers have been carrying the load for the Yankees, but that cannot last forever.
Boone said after sending Gil to the minors before Opening Day that the Yankees expected him in the rotation and that competition would remain fierce. Those words have aged in an unexpected way.
Rodriguez has not been announced as a Yankees call-up candidate. The Yankees front office has made clear the rotation is currently full, and Cole and Rodon’s returns may actually squeeze Gil out rather than create a lane for Rodriguez. But the prospect’s performances are making the organization’s decisions harder by the week.
The Yankees have shown a willingness to push young arms into the fire. Gil himself is the most recent example, promoted by Yankees management after just one full season in the minors. Schlittler’s 2025 breakout followed the same pattern. If Rodriguez keeps posting outings like Wednesday’s gem, the question of when he arrives in the Bronx, not if, will grow louder with every start.
What do you think? Should Elmer replace Gil on Yankees roster?
