Young Yankees Pitchers Share Encouraging Injury Updates

Ron Marinaccio expects to be ready for Opening Day, while Luis Gil is looking forward to his first bullpen since undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Ron Marinaccio wanted to return to the Yankees’ bullpen during the American League Championship Series last October, but manager Aaron Boone ultimately decided that the righty wasn’t fully recovered from a shin injury that prematurely ended the pitcher’s rookie campaign.

Now Marinaccio has his sights sent on an Opening Day return as he settles into camp in Tampa. The 27-year-old said that he plans on facing hitters next week and that he’s already thrown off a mound five times, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.

Marinaccio quickly earned Boone’s trust last season, recording a 2.05 ERA over the first 40 games and 44 innings of his big league career. He also struck out 30.9 percent of the batters he faced before his season ended on Oct. 2.

Marinaccio was not the only young Yankees pitcher to share a positive injury update on Thursday.

Luis Gil has been tossing from over 100 feet and hopes to throw a bullpen early this spring, per ESPN’s Marly Rivera. That bullpen will be Gil’s first since Tommy John surgery abruptly ended the 24-year-old’s 2022 season.

Gil was pitching for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on May 18, 2022, the last time he took the mound. He made a one-game cameo for the Yankees on May 12 last year, but he allowed four earned runs over four innings.

Gil had a much more impressive stretch with the Yankees in 2021, when the righty recorded a 3.07 ERA over six starts and 29.1 innings down the stretch. He showed off high-octane stuff, striking out 26.3 percent of the hitters he faced.

With Frankie Montas on the shelf for the foreseeable future due to shoulder surgery, Gil could eventually work his way back into New York’s rotation this season. However, Domingo Germán and Clarke Schmidt are currently the favorites for the Yankees’ fifth starter competition.  

MORE:

• Yankees’ Gerrit Cole on ALCS Loss to Astros: Getting ‘Waxed’ Never Feels Good
• Yankees’ Shortstops Will All Play Other Positions This Spring
• Yankees SP Frankie Montas Needs Shoulder Surgery

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