HOUSTON — The Yankees pitcher arrived as a placeholder. But he leaves with a serious question mark hanging over his big-league future.
Luis Gil was sent down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday after getting roughed up by the Astros. The Yankees did not wait. The move came the same day as the 7-4 loss at Daikin Park.
It was not just a roster move. It was a signal.
The Yankees’ rotation is being rebuilt around young arms and returning veterans. And right now, there may not be a spot for Gil when all the pieces come together.
Action written large after outing
Sunday’s outing was the clearest evidence yet that something is badly wrong. Gil faced 20 Astros batters and did not strike out a single one. He walked three. Houston swung at his four-seam fastball 22 times and made contact all 22 times. Not one whiff.
Of the 34 total swings against him, batters missed only three times. His fastball averaged 95.4 mph but had no life. Christian Walker punished a 3-2 changeup down the middle for a 432-foot, 109.8 mph two-run homer in the first.
Isaac Paredes then crushed a sinker for another two-run shot in the third. By the time Boone pulled Gil in the fifth with runners on base, the score was 7-0. A pitcher who won the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year award had just gone four innings without a single strikeout for the first time in his career.
Gil acknowledged the frustration. He has been working on his delivery since spring training but has not found consistency.
“It’s frustrating. It’s like you find yourself in a bad slump,” Gil said through an interpreter. “But at the same time, it’s part of the game, and I know, God willing, I’m going to get through this and come out on the other side.”
A rotation that is flourishing without him
While Gil has struggled, the rest of the Yankees’ rotation has been one of the better stories in the American League this April.
Max Fried has been sharp at the top. Will Warren and Cam Schlittler have given the club quality starts. Ryan Weathers has improved with every outing. The group fueled an eight-game winning streak that ended Sunday.
Gil was the weak link. His numbers confirm it. He posted a 6.05 ERA in four starts. He walked 11 batters and struck out only nine over 19 1/3 innings. He gave up six home runs.
Pitching coach Matt Blake pointed to command as the central issue. Gil’s fastball was not missing bats either. Before Sunday’s game, Blake described the situation plainly.
“He’s just a little erratic command-wise, not a lot of swing-and-miss on the fastball. Really, any,” Blake said after Gil’s Sunday outing, in which he totaled zero strikeouts, five hits, three walks and two home runs in four innings.
Aaron Boone echoed that view. He was asked what made Sunday so difficult for Gil.
“It’s tough when you’re falling behind and you’re not consistent with the secondary, or that consistent velocity and profile of the fastball to get them off some of the secondary,” Boone said. “A combination of not quite good enough command, the stuff not being as good as it is when Louie’s at his very best. Add that up, and you struggle to get that swing and miss.”
Gil demoted; rotation spots closing fast
The demotion itself was not a surprise. What makes it significant is the timing and the context.
Gerrit Cole is on a rehab assignment. Carlos Rodon needs at least two more minor-league starts before he is ready to return. Both aces are expected back within the next two to three weeks.
When they return, the Yankees will have five healthy starters without Gil. The math does not work in his favor.
The Yankees do not need a fifth starter again until May 5 because of a scheduled off-day Thursday. Ryan Yarbrough, who has a 4.09 ERA out of the bullpen, is the leading candidate for any spot start needed before then. Paul Blackburn is another option.
Prospects waiting in the wings
Even if Gil fixes his mechanics in Scranton, getting back to the majors will not be easy. The Yankees have pitching depth in the minor leagues that complicates his path.
Elmer Rodriguez is the name drawing the most attention. The 22-year-old has posted a 1.27 ERA in four Triple-A starts. He carries a 0.89 WHIP, and opposing batters are hitting .171 against him. Rodriguez throws six pitches, attacks the strike zone early and has shown the polish of a pitcher ready for a promotion.
Carlos Lagrange has elite raw stuff. He sat 97.9 mph at Triple-A and misses bats when on. His early-season command has been inconsistent, with 10 walks in 14 2/3 innings, but the organization believes in his ceiling. Aaron Judge called him a potential frontline starter for the Yankees.
Ben Hess, the 2024 first-round pick, is currently on the seven-day injured list at Double-A Somerset with an undisclosed issue. He was off to a solid start before the injury. His timeline for return is unclear.
Blake noted that Rodriguez and Lagrange are both in the conversation for the rotation.
“I don’t know if I’d say he’s ahead, but they’re both in the conversation for the potential to help us,” Blake said of Rodriguez and Lagrange.
Gil’s window seems to be closed
The clock is ticking for the 27-year-old. Since returning from a lat injury last season, he has been inconsistent across 14 big-league starts. Advanced metrics paint a bleak picture. Among 274 pitchers with at least 70 innings in that span, Gil ranked 272nd in walk rate and 274th in both xFIP and SIERA.
His 2024 American League Rookie of the Year season feels distant now. That year, his fastball averaged 96.6 mph. It sat at 95.4 mph Sunday and has been closer to 94.8 mph most of this season.
The Yankees have not given up on him. But with Cole and Rodon returning, Rodriguez knocking on the door and Lagrange developing fast, Gil needs a dominant stretch in Triple-A just to get back in the conversation.
What do you think? Will he get another chance with the Yankees?
