The news on right-hander Luis Gil is not what Yankees fans wanted to hear: the reigning AL Rookie of the Year has a high-grade lat strain and will be completely shut down from throwing for “at least” six weeks, per manager Aaron Boone.
Boone told reporters in Tampa on Monday that Gil will undergo further evaluations and get additional opinions, but that that 26-year-old is “in the right frame of mind to go attack it and try to get right.”
“Obviously, that’s a big blow and that’s, at the very least, going to be a good amount of time by the time he is able to work his way back,” Boone told YES Network during Monday’s game. “Hopefully, it is just that and he can get through it here and the rest and the rehab over the next several weeks before he starts throwing and build him up. And hopefully, we’ve got a valuable piece waiting in the wings sometime in the middle of the season or second half.
“But right now, it’s just about making sure he’s in the right frame of mind as he goes through this. He’s been down the injury road before and come out on the other side, so just making sure right now we kind of support him and make sure his mind and his heart are in the right place and ready to take on this adversity that’s hit him right here.”
Gil was initially shut down after feeling tightness near his pitching shoulder during a bullpen session on Friday.
The righty provided a huge boost to the Yankees starting rotation in 2024, posting a 3.50 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP and 171 strikeouts over 151.2 innings, winning AL Rookie of the Year for his efforts.
With Gil now sidelined for the foreseeable future, this could open up a starting spot for Marcus Stroman, who at one point looked to be the odd man out in a Bombers’ rotation that includes Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt.
DJ LeMahieu to undergo MRI
Elsewhere on the Yankees’ injury front, infielder DJ LeMahieu is set to undergo an MRI on his calf on Tuesday, per Boone.
LeMahieu, 36, made his spring training debut on Saturday, going 0-for-2 as the designated hitter. The next day, LeMahieu told reporters that his calf injury is “not anything major, but it’s probably going to be a little bit” before he resumes baseball activities.
Injuries have unfortunately marred LeMahieu’s tenure in New York, especially since signing a six-year, $90 million contract with the team in 2021.
