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The New York Yankees have gone from managing without Gerrit Cole for the year to thriving on the mound.
After scrambling to fill out a rotation following news that their franchise ace would miss the season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, the Yankees have fielded one of the best pitching staffs in baseball.
“Since April 14, through the Yankees’ win over the (New York) Mets on Sunday, the Yankees have the second-best starting ERA in baseball (2.89),” per Max Goodman of NJ.com.
The Yankees have enjoyed a stellar debut from Max Fried and a strong return to form from Carlos Rodon, while Clarke Schmidt, Will Warren and Ryan Yarbrough have been surprising contributors as well. And as the team seems to settle on an effective rotation to go along with its leading offense, it can now begin to plan around the return of reigning American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil.
Manager Aaron Boone announced that Gil has stayed on track in his throwing program and is targeting a return to the mound in two to three weeks.
“Gil suffered a strained right lat during a bullpen session in spring training in Tampa on Feb. 28 and was placed on the 60-day injured list on March 24 before the start of the regular season,” RotoBaller reported.
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If Gil continues to progress as expected, he could join the Yankees at some point in June or July. After a sensational rookie campaign and with a surprisingly strong rotation around him, Gil can hope to pick up where he left off when he’s healthy again. But he should be looking to make some improvements in his sophomore campaign as well.
“It’s been a disappointing development so far this year for Gil, who was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 2024 after going 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA (4.14 FIP) and 1.19 WHIP with 171 strikeouts and a league-high 77 walks in 151 ⅔ innings over 29 regular-season starts,” RotoBaller added. “If he doesn’t lower his walk rate when he returns, it could be rough sledding for Gil.”
There’s a lot left to be determined about Gil’s return to the mound, but for now the Yankees can hope he will offer a significant boost to a surging rotation.
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Peter Chawaga is a veteran journalist covering Major League Baseball for The Sporting News. His MLB reporting has included feature interviews with commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz, salary analysis, player rankings and more. He has covered baseball for Forbes, Yardbarker, Pitcher List, Athlon and other outlets.
With over ten years of newsroom experience, he has previously covered finance, technology, arts, and culture for newspapers, magazines, and websites nationwide. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and journalism.
English (US)