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The reigning American League Pennant winners are dealing with a few injuries ahead of Opening Day. When the New York Yankees reported to Spring Training, news came out that slugger Giancarlo Stanton was dealing with pain in both elbows. Now, New York is set to be without last year’s AL Rookie of the Year for months.
Ahead of Monday’s game against Pittsburgh, manager Aaron Boone announced that Luis Gil wouldn’t throw for at least six weeks. Turning 27 in June, Gil was diagnosed with a high-grade lat strain in his right shoulder. Following Gil’s six-week shutdown, Boone stated a full ramp-up would be necessary before he returned to the mound.
“You know these things are going to unfortunately come and pop up,” Boone said. “They do at different times of the year. Hopefully, overall, you can stay fairly healthy, but unfortunately these things are inevitable, and that’s why … every team tries to build in some depth. We feel like we’re in a good spot with who we have. It’s part of it.”
With Gil set to miss a few months, the Yankees will likely turn to veteran Marcus Stroman to fill the fifth spot in the starting rotation. A two-time All-Star, Stroman was not in a position to be a part of New York’s rotation entering the season. Additionally, the veteran stated he was not interested in being a bullpen arm.
“It sucks, man; I don’t even know what to say to put it into words,” Stroman said of Gil’s injury. “He was a huge part of this team last year. Incredible, incredible season, and we’re going to need him. We’re going to need him at some point in order to go where we want.”
Boone’s update came on the heels of Gil experiencing shoulder tightness during a bullpen session on Friday. Gil subsequently underwent an MRI that revealed the injury. This is the second season in a row that the Yankees have faced key injuries to their starting rotation. Last year, Clarke Schmidt missed more than three months with a lat strain. Additionally, former Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole missed significant time with an elbow injury.
Prior to last year’s breakout campaign, Gil had appeared in just one game between 2022-2023 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. Gil finished last season 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA. In the postseason, Gil allowed six runs in 8.0 IP across two starts. Boone touched upon the uncertainty of Gil’s increased workload impacting his current injury, noting it was “tough to say” whether Gil’s 159.2 IP led to the strain.
“It’s pitching,” Boone added. “Different things crop up. It’s why we put so much value in what these guys do in their throwing programs and when they start, and we’re methodical in how they go about it. I feel like we’ve started to turn a corner there, but it’s certainly one of the things that is troubling in our game.”
