New York Yankees Shutting Down Reigning AL Rookie of the Year for At Least Six Weeks

The New York Yankees reigning AL Rookie of the Year winner won't be throwing for at least the next six weeks.

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

The hits keep coming for the New York Yankees on the injury front.

Giancarlo Stanton and Scott Effross have already been ruled out of Opening Day because of the injuries they have suffered, with the slugger experiencing tendonitis in both elbows and the reliever suffering a hamstring injury.

Then, oft-injured DJ LeMahieu picked up a ding in camp, something that currently has no recovery timetable and has created a major question mark at third base.

As if that wasn't enough for the Yankees to deal with, their reigning AL Rookie of the Year winner, Luis Gil, underwent an MRI on his shoulder to see what had been bothering him.

Never a good sign when that's the case, the worries were confirmed with Alden Gonzalez of ESPN reporting the pitcher was diagnosed with a high-grade lat strain. That will prevent him from throwing for at least the next six weeks. They'll gather more information to get a better timeline for his recovery.

This is tough news.

Gil was one of the breakout performers of the season in Major League Baseball, and despite New York signing Max Fried to a record-setting deal this winter, the right-hander was still projected to be in the starting rotation.

Having a pitcher at the backend who posted a 3.50 ERA and 117 ERA+ with 171 strikeouts across his 152.2 innings pitched in 29 starts, made this Yankees group one of the best on paper.

Unfortunately, that is no longer the case.

Marcus Stroman, who entered camp disgruntled after New York tried to trade this offseason or move him into a bullpen role, will likely take over for Gil. But after he didn't have a great year in 2024 and wasn't good in his first spring start, that reduces the ceiling of this starting staff.

This will be something to monitor.

Gil won't be on the Opening Day roster based on this news, but if he can return shortly after the six-week period he's being shut down for at the moment, then he could be back at some point in April or early-May.