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MIAMI — The Yankees finally will get a chance to see what Luis Gil can do for an encore.
The reigning American League Rookie of the Year had his 2025 season delayed by a lat injury he suffered in spring training, but he’ll be back on the mound on Sunday against the Marlins.
“I’ve been waiting for this time for a long, long time,” Gil said through an interpreter before the Yankees’ 2-0 loss to the Marlins on Saturday. “From the moment I got hurt, immediately I just wanted to be out there. It’s been a long process, but I’ve done a good job of following the plan in place to get healthy again [and] allow me to get back on the field.”
Gil compiled a 15-7 record with a 3.50 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 2024.
He returns to the Yankees just after a trade deadline that saw them load up on relievers but fail to make a deal for a starting pitcher.
They also shed one, releasing Marcus Stroman on Friday to make room for Gil.
“It’s huge for us,” pitching coach Matt Blake told The Post. “Obviously, he had a strong year last year. He’s one of the best right-handed pitchers in the league when he’s healthy, so to get him back and hopefully stabilize the rotation a little bit could go a long way.”
On Feb. 28, Gil had a spring bullpen session cut with tightness in his right side. He had an MRI exam the next day that revealed a high-grade lat strain.
Gil pitched in four rehab outings, two for Double-A Somerset and the others for Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre. The collective numbers — 14 ¹/₃ innings, nine earned runs, 11 hits, 24 strikeouts and seven walks — don’t matter nearly as much as the forward progress he was making.
“Having the disappointment of getting hurt in the middle of spring training and having to get shut down, I will say it feels like the rehab process for him has been smooth,” manager Aaron Boone said. “There [haven’t] been any setbacks or hiccups. I feel like every step of the way he felt really good about it. We’ve had a good, solid buildup to where he’s almost to a full clip going into [Sunday].”
Gil threw 75 pitches in his final ramp-up, and Blake estimates the 27-year-old righty will get into the low 80s on Sunday. But that count starts with Pitch 1. It’s been a long time coming. It would only be natural for Gil to be a little amped up.
“I’d just tell him to be himself,” Blake said. “He’s put in some good work through the rehab process. He doesn’t have to do any more than that. Obviously he knows his talent plays here so just go out and stay in his delivery and attack the zone and go from there.”
Gil figures the antidote for any jitters that might arise lies in the experience he already has.
“Putting yourself in situations like that — big games — helps you calm yourself down and find a way to focus and do your job,” he said.
