Durability Concerns Could Prevent Young Yankees Starter From Becoming Team's Ace

Durability is the only thing holding back a young New York Yankees starter from rising the ranks.

Feb 15, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil (81) participates in spring training workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Before the regular season even got underway, the New York Yankees’ pitching staff was decimated by injuries.

The biggest blow was to their ace, Gerrit Cole, after an elbow issue eventually led to him going under the knife for Tommy John surgery. He will miss the entire campaign as a result.

Clarke Schmidt opened the year on the injured list after rotator cuff tendinitis flared up. His injury is considered relatively minor since his ramp up period was interrupted and the team is just taking things slow.

Another pitcher who they aren’t going to see before the summer is Luis Gil.

The reigning American League Rookie of the Year is dealing with a serious lat strain that resulted in him being shut down from throwing for at least six weeks. An entire rehab and spring training style ramp up process will be needed before he can rejoin the team.

It is a major blow for the Yankees, as he was expected to play an important role in the rotation and build off of the positive results he provided in 2024.

Unfortunately for him, he is now dealing with another injury obstacle to overcome, something that has become the norm for him as a professional.

A majority of the 2022 campaign and all of 2023 was missed after he had to undergo reconstructive surgery on his elbow. Now with the lat strain, he will have missed large chunks of time in three out of the last four years.

Durability is the biggest concern that Gil currently has, as the talent is there for him to be one of the top starting pitchers in baseball.

He is already viewed highly by MLB insiders, as he came in at No. 50 in their starting pitcher ranks of The Athletic (subscription required) in a piece put together by Andy McCullough, Will Sammon and Sahadev Sharma.

Not only is staying healthy a concern, Gil has to prove he can handle the rigors of a full regular season and not wear down as things move along, which occurred in 2024.

Gil led the MLB with 77 walks issued in 2024 in only 151.2 innings, which came out to an underwhelming 4.6 BB/9. It has been an issue for him throughout his professional career, with an even worse 5.4 BB/9 in the minor leagues.

Until he can get those things figured out, he is going to remain in the Nos. 4 and 5 tier of the rankings.

But, the potential is there for him to move up.

He produced some truly dominant outings when able to pinpoint his control; consistency just has to be found in that regard and a steady climb up the rankings will ensue.