Luis Gil Could Make Yankees Return

The New York Yankees are on the verge of getting their pitcher back.

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

New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil shined in a rehab outing with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, striking out seven batters in 4.1 innings, allowing just three hits and one run. The game is set to be the last of his rehabilitation assignment after suffering a lat strain. Gil, who won the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year award, hasn't played with the Yankees all season after his injury occurred during spring training.

The second-year pro, who had some struggles in his earlier outings with the AA Somerset Pirates, could return to the majors as early as this Sunday, when the Yankees take on the Miami Marlins. It will be good news for the Yankees, whose pitchers have been plagued with injury. Both Gerrit Cole, who was instrumental in the Yankees run to the 2024 World Series, and Clarke Schmidt will miss the rest of 2025 to recover from Tommy John surgery, with Schmidt not able to return until midway through 2026.

Oct 29, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil (81) throws during the first inning in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

The Yankees are in desperate need for Gil to be back in throwing shape and in the rotation. Defensive woes, both in the field and on the mound, have lost their once-mighty lead on the AL East, and they're four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays. With heavy-hitter Aaron Judge out for a minimum of 10 games, the Pinstripes need to step their pitching and fielding game up to not fall even further behind.

Of course, there's also the possibility that the Yankees add to the starting rotation by making a big trade ahead of tomorrow's MLB trade deadline. The Pinstripes have been linked to heaps of pitchers, including Arizona Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen, Pittsburgh Pirates' Mitch Keller and Miami Marlins' Sandy Alcantara. However, with Gil almost ready to return to the rotation, New York might just focus on relief pitching in the dwindling hours of the trade period.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!

• Yankees Now Linked to Diamondbacks Pitcher
• Yankees Rival Could Trade Multiple Players
• Yankees Starting to Annoy Twins With Trade Calls
• Yankees Reveal Aaron Judge Timeline
• Yankees Pursuing Cardinals All-Star Reliever