Luis Gil Has a Lot to Prove to Yankees During Final Week of Regular Season

It's funny to think that at one point it felt like sacrilege to even consider trading Luis Gil for anyone. Here was the prospective American League Rookie of the Year who held it down in the rotation while Gerrit Cole was sidelined for much of 2024, and the Houston Astros wanted him as the centerpiece of a trade for Kyle Tucker. The New York Yankees scoffed at the idea and opted to keep Gil.

In hindsight, they should have landed Tucker and sent Gil to Houston. Gil immediately broke down, and his velocity has never been what it was during his first full season, when he earned rookie honors. It's a trade they likely would have won even if Tucker ended up still going to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

That one successful year feels like a lifetime ago, but now the Yankees have a chance to salvage some of his value. With injuries to Ryan Weathers, a Clarke Schmidt scare this past week, and Brent Headrick's velocity alarmingly down over the weekend, the bullpen is looking shaky heading into the postseason. With just a week left in the regular season, they should use this opportunity to see what they have in Gil.

In the best-case scenario, Gil would be relegated to lower-leverage situations. That is how they have used him, too. Gil has seen just five appearances over the last month, but things feel a little more dire, and Boone used him twice in their most recent series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It could be a signal that they're giving Gil one last chance to prove himself. There might not be another choice, either.

Luis Gil is PUMPING 100 pic.twitter.com/Ihx5XQoYX8
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 2, 2024

The best use of Gil moving forward

Call it a bit of a Hail Mary, but it wouldn't hurt the Yankees at this point if they used Gil in medium- to high-leverage situations against the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles. If he can hack it, at least they know what they have. The same goes if he fails there. At least they know not to use him in that role in the postseason.

Better to find out now, when the games don't matter and the postseason is already set. Chances are the Rays aren't losing the next seven games and blowing the division, either.

One thing about Gil is that his velocity looks like it's up. He averaged 95.4 MPH on his fastball this season. Since being called up on August 31st, Gil has averaged 96.1 MPH. His slider velocity is up as well. He's averaging 87.1 MPH on it since the call-up. He is sitting at 85.8 MPH this season.

New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil (right) high-fives catcher Austin Wells at the end of a game. — New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil (right) has looked good in a limited sample size since being called up from Triple-A. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Gil's strikeout numbers are also slightly up in this small sample size. Since his call-up, he has pitched six innings and struck out eight with just three walks. He has allowed one earned run, but that was back in his first start.

Another thing about Gil is that the Yankees are waiting for his arm to return to what it used to be. He may never be what he once was, and with a stacked rotation, his only role as a Yankee is likely in the bullpen. That said, this final week could be one of Gil's most important.

It's an opportunity to show that he still has some value to the team, and if he's able to get outs, blowing heaters by batters this week and into the postseason, they don't have to feel all that bad about watching Tucker go elsewhere in 2025 — not that it would have mattered in the long run anyway.

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