by Let’s take a step back and look at what just happened with Luis Gil.
Because when you dissect the latest outing, the conversation around the Yankees’ rotation suddenly gets a lot more interesting.
On paper, the Yankees still say Gil is part of the starting five. Aaron Boone even made that clear publicly, saying he still views Gil as “one of the five guys.”
But if you actually break down what happened in that Tigers game, it’s hard not to notice the red flags.
The First Inning Set the Tone
The outing basically unraveled almost immediately.
Gil’s 12th pitch of the game ended up flying over the wall in left-center after Spencer Torkelson crushed it for a three-run homer.
And that wasn’t the only damage.
Detroit kept lining up the fastball early in the game. Javier Báez ripped a run-scoring double into the corner during a four-run first inning, and the Tigers never really let up after that.
Later in the outing, Matt Vierling and Riley Greene also went deep.
By the time Gil’s afternoon was over, the line looked like this:
- 3 innings pitched
- 9 hits allowed
- 7 runs
- 1 walk
- 2 strikeouts
For spring training, that’s a rough day at the office.
The Velocity Is There… But the Misses Aren’t
Here’s where the breakdown gets more interesting.
Gil’s fastball velocity actually looked healthy.
It averaged about 95.8 mph, which is exactly where the Yankees want it.
But the swing-and-miss wasn’t there.
Detroit hitters took 19 swings against the fastball and only missed twice.
Two whiffs.
For a pitcher whose game is built around overpowering hitters with the heater, that’s a big part of the story.
The slider generated more misses — six swings and misses — but the fastball wasn’t playing like the dominant weapon we saw during Gil’s breakout season.
Boone Wants the “Whole Package” Back
Boone didn’t hide the issue.
He pointed out that Gil has been slowly building his velocity this spring but still needs to get his entire arsenal working together.
That means:
- Command of the fastball
- A sharper slider
- A changeup that hitters respect
Right now, the fastball profile is getting closer to what Gil had during his dominant stretches, but the rest of the mix still needs to catch up.
Gil himself even pointed to the changeup as something that simply wasn’t working during the Tigers outing.
The Context Matters
Let’s not forget what Luis Gil already accomplished.
In 2024 he went 15–7 with a 3.50 ERA across 29 starts and walked away with the American League Rookie of the Year award.
That’s not a small resume.
But injuries complicated things.
A high-grade lat strain last spring delayed his season until August and limited him to just 11 starts.
So this spring has been about getting everything back in rhythm.
Some days look electric.
Others… look like Sunday’s start against Detroit.
And Then There’s the Rotation Puzzle
The Yankees already have several pieces lined up.
Max Fried is scheduled to start Opening Day in San Francisco.
Cam Schlittler appears lined up for the second game of the season.
Will Warren has been building momentum in camp.
Ryan Weathers, despite an ugly spring ERA, has generated more swings and misses lately.
So when you put all those pieces together, the fifth spot suddenly isn’t as automatic as it once looked.
The Schedule Might Delay the Decision
Here’s the twist.
The Yankees have four off-days within the first 13 days of the regular season.
That means they technically might not even need a fifth starter immediately.
Which gives the team time.
More starts. More data. More evaluation.
And maybe most importantly, more chances for Gil to look like the pitcher who once overwhelmed hitters with pure electricity.
The Reality Right Now
Luis Gil hasn’t lost the fifth starter job.
But when you dissect the outing against Detroit, you can see why the Yankees are still evaluating.
The velocity is there.
The stuff flashes.
But the swing-and-miss fastball — the version that made him Rookie of the Year — hasn’t fully returned yet.
If that version shows up again, the debate disappears.
If it doesn’t…
The Yankees suddenly have a real decision to make.
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