Inside The Pinstripes

Luis Gil 'In Play' For Role With Yankees' Pitching Staff in September

New York Yankees prospect Luis Gil could return to the big leagues in September, in play to make spot starts or come out of the bullpen, per manager Aaron Boone

Max Goodman

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Filling in on a staff ravaged by injuries, Luis Gil has pitched his way into the conversation for a role with the Yankees down the stretch. 

With other hurlers returning from the injured list, however, finding a spot for the 23-year-old is easier said than done.

Over three starts in August, Gil posted a pristine 0.00 ERA across 15.2 innings, striking out 18 batters along the way. Going three starts without allowed an earned run wasn't just impressive, it was historic. 

Gil became the first pitcher since 1893 to throw 4.2 scoreless innings in each of his first three career appearances. 

The problem is, even with Gil's practically perfect prologue to his highly-anticipated MLB career, others are ahead of him on the depth chart. Corey Kluber returned from a lengthy stint on the injured list on Monday, pushing lefty Andrew Heaney into a versatile spot out of the bullpen. Meanwhile, both Luis Severino and Michael King are inching closer to their respective returns from the IL.

Asked on Monday how Gil could factor into New York's pitching staff in the final month of the regular season, manager Aaron Boone assured that the right-hander is in consideration to be back in the Bronx sooner than later. 

"I think there's a number of things potentially in play there," Boone said. "I certainly could envision him especially as we go through this 20-game stretch after this off day, possibility of slotting him in there and giving him a start."

New York is off on September 2, returning from their West Coast road trip. After that, the Yankees have just two more off days until the conclusion of the regular season.

That in mind, beyond a spot start in September, bringing Gil out of the bullpen could be another way to get him back in the big leagues. 

In fact, with Triple-A Scranton, Gil came out of the 'pen on Sunday, making his first relief appearance of the season.

"One of the reasons we did bring him out of the 'pen, even though it was more of a start an inning and do his starter's workload, was to just give him a little bit of a different routine to keep that potentially in play," Boone added.

Gil's scoreless stretch won't last forever. At some point, the Yankees' No. 4 prospect will surely have his first true taste of adversity at the next level. That doesn't mean Gil can't help lessen the load on the regulars atop New York's starting staff and the high-leverage arms in the bullpen, keeping everyone fresh as the calendar flips to October. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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