New York Yankees Rising Star Predicted to Lose Rotation Spot When Gerrit Cole Returns

The New York Yankees young star could be out of the rotation when Gerrit Cole returns to the mound.

May 12, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil (81) throws a pitch / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees had an impressive weekend, sweeping the Chicago White Sox. While the White Sox are arguably the worst team in baseball, the Yankees took care of business, something they struggled with last season.

After a year that was uncharacteristic of the organization, they look to be right back on track as a team that should be in the mix to win the World Series. To make matters even more impressive, New York's done this without their best pitcher, Gerrit Cole.

Cole's expected to return this season and has progressed well recently, making it likely that he'll return in the near future. With that in mind, the Yankees will have to make a decision on who's going to fall out of the rotation.

According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, Luis Gil is the likeliest candidate to lose his spot.

"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. 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."

Gil has been one of the better pitchers in baseball this season, tossing another impressive outing on Sunday. In his six innings pitched, the right-hander struck out 14, raising his total to 62 strikeouts in 49.0 innings pitched this season. He currently owns an ERA of 2.39 and a WHIP of 1.08.

While Gil has thrown well, it could make sense that he's the one who drops out of the rotation. Given this is a veteran-heavy team, Aaron Boone could decide to stick to the veterans. However, there's also a world where he allows the 25-year-old to continue building as he deserves the opportunity to do so. This is a good problem to have for Boone and the front office, one that many teams wish they had.