Luis Gil Ready to Debut with the Yankees
New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil is scheduled to make his season debut this Sunday against the Marlins in Miami. The player has recovered from a lat muscle injury that kept him out of action for four months. Gil, who was the American League Rookie of the Year, demonstrated his ability by striking out seven batters in 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday playing for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Triple-A team. In his fourth rehabilitation outing in the minor leagues, Gil threw 50 of 75 pitches for strikes, allowing one run and three hits. The right-hander suffered the injury during spring training and is ready to return this weekend, after throwing 14 1/3 innings in the minors.Gil began facing hitters on June 21, throwing 20 pitches in a batting practice at Yankee Stadium. His first rehab outing was on July 13 for the Double-A Somerset team. Manager Aaron Boone also commented on what they expect to see from Gil. “For the most part, get through this successfully, throw strikes and maintain his level throughout the outing,” Boone said. “We want to see those things, but we’re also aware that, in many ways, it’s like spring training for him, building his stamina. There will definitely be an added level of competitiveness and adrenaline once he returns.” Gil stopped a bullpen session on February 28 due to a strain in his throwing shoulder. An MRI revealed a high-grade injury to the latissimus dorsi muscle on March 3. After the initial diagnosis, he was told to stop throwing for at least six weeks, and at that point, the Yankees announced that he would not return until June at the earliest. On April 16, the Yankees reported that Gil’s throwing program would be delayed by about 10 days. In the past season, the 27-year-old player had a 15-7 record with a 3.50 ERA in 29 starts for the American League East champions. He struck out 171, although he also led the league with 77 walks in 151 2/3 innings. Gil, acquired from the Minnesota Twins in a trade in 2018, had a successful return after Tommy John surgery and pitched eight additional innings in two postseason starts, as the Yankees reached the World Series for the first time since 2009.I think that’s the plan at the moment.
Aaron Boone, Yankees manager
