New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman updated reporters on the status of Luis Gil on Thursday and said the reigning AL Rookie of the Year will be out at least three months with a high-grade lat strain.
Gil was shut down on Monday from throwing for six weeks as the team awaited results from an MRI. It confirmed the original diagnosis and Cashman said Thursday that the hope is the 26-year-old starting pitcher will be back “sometime in the summer.”
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“It’s definitely not the best feeling when they tell you something like that,” Gil said on Monday through interpreter Marlon Abreu. “You’re not waiting for news like that. It’s a tough moment right there to digest. You’ve got to start thinking of how to move forward, whatever the journey might be.”
Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt suffered a similar injury last season and was put on the injured list in late May and returned on Sept. 7.
The Yankees are scheduled to start their season on March 27 at home against the Milwaukee Brewers. They first revealed Gil’s injury on Friday, when manager Aaron Boone told reporters that Gil was experiencing shoulder discomfort.
In 29 starts last season, Gil posted a 3.50 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 171 strikeouts and 77 walks in 151.2 innings pitched. He pitched two postseason games with a 6.75 ERA in an ALCS start against the Cleveland Guardians and a World Series start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Gil’s absence will open a spot in the Yankees’ rotation with Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Carlos Rodón set as the first three. This could mean a boost for Marcus Stroman and open the door for Carlos Carrasco, Will Warren and Allan Winans to make their case.
“We still feel like we have good depth,” Boone said this week. “You know these things are unfortunately going to come and pop up at different times of the year.”
