Yankees Rookie Phenom Luis Gil Now Leads AL in This Impressive Category

New York Yankees rookie sensation Luis Gil now leads the American League in this impressive category.

Jun 14, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil (81) pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

The legend just keeps on growing.

New York Yankees rookie phenom starting pitcher Luis Gil now leads the American League with a sparkling 2.03 ERA after his latest outing against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.

Gil is currently trailing NL pitchers' Reynaldo Lopez (1.69 ERA) and Ranger Suarez (1.77 ERA), who lead all of baseball in ERA.

Gil has been nothing short of amazing in a season where he is back in the majors for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery in May of 2022.

Through 14 starts in 2024, Gil is 9-1 with his AL-best 2.03 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP and 96 strikeouts across 80 innings. As of this date, the 26-year-old Yankee sensation is a candidate to start the All-Star Game for the AL next month. He is also in a position to capture the AL Rookie of the Year Award and could make a serious push for the Cy Young Award as well.

The right-hander was kind of the forgotten man due to his elbow surgery that knocked him out for almost two full seasons. He came up to the Bronx in 2021 to make his major league debut, and also impressed back then, becoming the first Yankee rookie to notch 15 consecutive scoreless innings to start a career.

In his last seven starts alone, Gil has a 6-0 record, 1.26 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 43 innings. He has been a godsend in a Yankee rotation that has been missing reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole, whose return is near. Gil also wasn't even expected to make the big-league rotation out of Spring Training until Cole went down.

Since Gil has missed so much time, Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake told Foul Territory recently that the team is not ruling out either a "timeout" on innings or a move to the bullpen at some point for their young rising star.

The hope is that Clarke Schmidt, who was shut down for 4-6 weeks in late-May due to a lat injury, will be able to return later in the season. Should this be the case, the Yankees will have more wiggle room when making a decision on Gil.

For now, Gil has been one of the best storylines in the league this season, and as of Friday night, he leads the AL in ERA.