New York Yankees’ Luis Gil pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston … [+]
The Yankees do not know the results of Luis Gil’s MRI but are hoping for the best after hearing something any team dreads.
What the Yankees heard from Gil was the right-hander telling them about a shoulder being tight during a bullpen session on Friday and it was not his left shoulder. It was the shoulder that enabled him to claim last season’s AL Rookie of the Year award.
“He just felt tight and wasn’t able to really let it go,” manager Aaron Boone told reporters Saturday. “Hopefully it’s not something too serious, but also feels like something that’s going to cost us some time.”
The last part of that statement highlights the fragility of pitching in this day and age of constant injuries. Saying the words “some time” gives an indication a player will not ready as the desired time, in this case opening day on March 27 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
It could be somewhat minor or it could be what unfolded about a year ago when the Yankees learned Gerrit Cole’s defense of his 2023 AL Cy Young would be delayed. The Yankees were left holding their collective breath when it was discovered Cole was dealing with nerve inflammation and edema in his right elbow injury.
By the first week of the regular season, Cole was progressing quickly and by the first weekend of May he was throwing his first bullpen session, doing so hours before Aaron Judge got asked to leave (ejected) by an umpire for the first time in his career.
Until the Yankees know the results of the MRI, they will not know what they are dealing with but they were presented with an ominous sign about someone who stepped in when Cole got hurt and turned an opportunity into a special season.
It was a season where Gil pitched 151 2/3 innings, doing so after Tommy John surgery and the subsequent grueling rehab process limited him to a combined 29 2/3 innings the previous two seasons following a respectable debut in the Yankee rotation in 2021.
And suddenly Gil’s recovery lessens the Yankee depth and any ability about trading Marcus Stroman, who correctly said he is a starting pitcher upon returning from spring training. Stroman is gradually increasing his pitch count, getting up to 43 in his second spring start and said he felt great physically.
Hearing someone say they feel great physically might be music to the Yankees’ ears, especially in the wake of Giancarlo Stanton’s elbows costing him opening day and likely a decent amount of time and especially with DJ LeMahieu injuring his calf in the latest ailment of a frustrating five years since winning the batting title in 2020.
With Gil out for some kind of time, the Stroman situation is working out just like the Yankees projected. They may have meant him pitching well and finding a trade partner for the right-hander and his $18 million salary.
“That’s one of my guys,” Stroman told reporters “Huge fan of Luis. It (stinks), man. I don’t even know what to say to put it into words. He was a huge part of this team last year — incredible, incredible season. We’re gonna need him at some point in order to go where we want. Hopefully it’s not as bad as it is. Hopefully his recovery goes really well and we can have him back as fast as possible, because that’s an elite arm we want out there each and every time you can get him.”
The Yankees should still be good enough on the mound, especially if Cole is his usual self, Max Fried is as good as advertised and Carlos Rodon pitches similar to his career high 16-win 2024 season.
The depth is a little less and for the third straight spring the Yankees are holding their breath.
In 2023, Rodon’s forearm injury and other setbacks derailed his debut until July in the first year of a six-year, $161 million deal. Last season, the Yankees survived Cole’s absence while getting off to a hot start despite some shakiness in the field.
This year, the Yankees are believed to be improved defensively, and it seems to be the case regardless of who is on the mound. As they anxiously await the reading from Gil’s injury, they hope he can benefit from the improved fielding sooner than later.
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