Yankees right-hander Luis Gil felt some shoulder tightness during a bullpen session today and is heading for an MRI tomorrow. Manager Aaron Boone relayed the information to reporters, including Greg Joyce of the New York Post. Boone also revealed, per Joyce, that JT Brubaker broke three ribs trying to avoid a comebacker last week. No timeline was provided for Brubaker’s return.
At this point, there’s little information available on Gil and it can only be speculated what comes next. However, an MRI indicates that the club has at least some level of concern about the discomfort in his shoulder.
Any injury absence would obviously be unwelcome news for Gil and the Yankees. The righty missed most of 2022 and 2023 due to Tommy John surgery and the subsequent recovery period, but he returned with a big flourish in 2024. Despite the long layoff, Gil managed to take the ball 29 times and toss 151 2/3 innings for the Yankees last year, plus two more postseason starts. He finished the regular season with a 3.50 earned run average and 26.8% strikeout rate. The 12.1% walk rate was a little high but Gil worked around that enough to win American League Rookie of the Year honors.
Brubaker still hasn’t pitched for the Yankees. He was acquired from the Pirates going into 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He started a rehab assignment in June but then got held back by an oblique strain, which kept him on the IL through the end of the year. Prior to his surgery, he posted a 4.99 ERA in 315 2/3 innings over three seasons with the Bucs from 2020 to 2022.
It’s obviously not ideal for a club’s rotation mix to potentially lose two members but the good news is that the Yankee rotation will still be in strong position even if Gil and/or Brubaker need to miss some time. The Yanks have such a packed rotation that they have been trying to unload Marcus Stroman for weeks.
No deal has come together and Stroman is getting stretched out in spring, so he could easily step into a rotation spot alongside Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt. Brubaker’s injury, and Chase Hampton’s recent Tommy John surgery, will thin out the depth a bit but the club has other potential arms there.
MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently took a look at some notable out of options players coming into the 2025 season in a piece for Front Office subscribers, highlighting Yoendrys Gómez as one of them. Gómez didn’t seem to have a path to a roster spot as of a few hours ago but dual IL stints for Gil and Brubaker would obviously help him. The Yanks also have Will Warren and Brent Headrick on the 40-man roster. Veteran Carlos Carrasco is in camp as a non-roster invitee.
Ideally, Gil’s MRI will find nothing of note and he will be fine after a bit of rest. But even in the event something more significant is found, the Yanks seem well absorbed to put together a strong pitching staff in the short term, a strong demonstration of the “you can never have too much pitching” cliché.
LoL. Keeping Stroman sounds better and better. The player to get rid of is DJL. ASAP!!!!
I can honestly see DJL having a decent bounce back. His batted balls were softer but not markedly so. A lot of bad luck in his metrics last year. Unless you get a marked upgraded like Arenado, I would think DJL has about as much upside as any other third baseman available at this point.
His average exit velocity was 2 mph lower than his career average and greater than 3 mph lower than his peak. His hard hit rate is 6% lower than his career averages and more than 11% lower than his peak. That is markedly lower.
His launch angle has gone from 5-6% in his 2019 and 2021 seasons to 1.9% last season. A worm killer. If he was extremely fast, he could get away with never getting the ball off the ground. DJLM is not fast.
@Web
So the fact that he was injured most of the year from injuries to his foot and hip aren’t figured in to why those things happened?
Foot and hip issues rarely get better at his age.
@Top
He broke a bone in his foot. that’s not a deterioration injury. Of course his performance will be based on his health so we wait and see but the idea that, if healthy he can improve off of his 2025 showing is valid and worth monitoring.
Two years and at his age those things don’t get better. In fact, they accelerate in the wrong direction.
Garebear didn’t specify reasons. Just tried to say that it was not markedly lower. It was. Not bad luck. Bad play and an aging body.
Stop with DJ hate. You sound like a kid that doesn’t understand baseball. He’s not going anywhere. Besides no one is taking him without him proving health and bounceback, but if he does do that, why would we then trade him?
DJLM is now a terrible baseball player. The injuries contributed to the bad outcomes on the field. How is this going to magically improve with age?
The sixth starter generally becomes the 5th starter eventually.
Or more of a spot starter.
Comical to see Yankees injuries… not for the players I feel for them.. but for the front office. They trick fans into thinking the huge payroll plays every year.. yet skip the important part…. Depth. And the Yankees have 0 depth year after year
Another LOLYANKS!
Maybe they should trade Dominguez to the Mets for Griffin Canning!
Don’t you wish that evil on us!!!
Andujar Frazier for Skenes Reynolds
Throw in a Kevin Maas and Shelley Duncan signed ball to sweeten the deal
I guess Stroman is a starter.
The cardinals have Erick Fedde and Matz available to add with Arenado . It’s gonna cost them though.
Tbh I’m not sure if Arenado would accept a trade to the NYY knowing he would basically be replacing one of his closest friends (DJ LeMahieu).
@Craven
Of course he would. DJ isn’t going anywhere. Yanks are not releasing him and his money is guaranteed.
“IMA STARTER. IMA STARTER.”
Joe, I am beginning to wonder if we are going to see a parallel to Severino’s career in Gil. Awesome potential but just can’t stay healthy….
It is trending that way Clip. And with this being a shoulder issue, it’s very concerning.
Stroman looks like he’ll opt back in to start. I’m also worried about Fried and his 8 year deal. Maybe the Mets are doing it the right way signing pitchers to short term deals.
That’s what I heard he said. Hopefully, Gil’s MRI is precautionary.
Luis Castillo for Pereira and Peraza
Yes—and the idea that the Yankees had “a packed rotation” is pretty funny, given Marcus (The Mouth) Stroman is their #6.
Well… WAS their #6. Perhaps he’ll be #4 by Opening Day.
Cashman has traded away so much pitching over the last several years he seems to think it’s easy to come by. He dealt Jordan Montgomery, for example, a #1B or 2A fr 2021-2023 for Harrison Bader’s plantar fasciitis. It’s odd indeed.
@Jack
Great job at showing us how much great starting pitching Cashman had traded away. How is Monty doing by the way?
This is why whether the Yankees like it or not they need to hold on to Stroman.
This is just ridiculous. No need to trade Stroman. Schmidt bad back, Gil with shoulder tightness, Brubaker three broken ribs and two minor league SP in top 20 lost to TJ.
In bullpen, Loaisiga already hurt. And Cousins with flexor issue. Beeter shoulder issue and Effross with severe hamstring pull.
On offense, both Stanton and Grisham out with injuries.
On the plus side, Warren has looked pretty good so far.
Cam Schlitter has also looked good
Guess it’s a good thing they didn’t get rid of Stroman
Looks like Peraza and Gomez could have opening day spots. Good for them.
Potential to be very bad.
Well there go any Strohman trade
I actually think Stroman fits well with the 4 ahead of him. Different look before Cole and after Schmidt.
Good thing we didn’t trade Stroman yet! Lol.
I still want him out, nothing is worth locking him in for another 18 mil next year. Dump him and give Warren another shot. If the Gil injury is serious deal with it close to the deadline
this potential injury is Boone and Cashman’s or maybe Hal’s fault right folks? Hal shouldn’t be so darn cheap , Boone blows too many bubbles and Cashman doesn’t know what he is doing like the experts with all the WS rings on here do.
I also want to point out how I was all for trading Gil for Tucker…
you’re not alone. i would have carried gil to houston on my back
boone: he felt a little something so we’re checking it out as a precaution but we expect him back in a few days
translation: gil has six weeks to live
Is there any more to the Brubaker news? How’d he break ribs trying to avoid a comebacker? Did he fall? Or did not avoid it?
Just saw the Yes video of it. He did indeed get hit off the lower back. Ooof. Dude can’t catch a break…or maybe he can I guess…yikes.
Do. Or do not. There is no try.
mlb.com/yankees/video/jt-brubaker-exits-the-game-a…
Yeah just caught it on X. That’s a tough shot to take off that part of the body
OUCH! Just below the numbers.
I was wondering the exact same thing… why not just say that Brubaker got hit by the comebacker? Does any pitcher NOT avoid trying to get hit by a comebacker?
I never bought into the whole Yankees are deep at pitching. Rodón and Fried are durability risks that could sink their whole season. They should have be seeking additional rotation help, even before this injury.
Agreed. The whole ‘we’re covered,’ let’s deal away for a bag of balls the guy whose first 14 starts in 2024 brought with it a 2.81 ERA’ approach was ridiculous. I’m sure he’s annoying to be around but Stroman’s bad second half still had a FIP around a league average 4.24.
This guy should have not been the ROY
In the league for about four years
In Spring Training THERE IS alot of RIBBING !!
Let the excuses begin from the Yankee fans as the injuries already start to mount up. Mike Stanton on down.
From a Dodger fan who’s half and more the pitching staff was on on the IL last year….quite a comment….
It isn’t like Gil almost died from eating a salad or something…
I’m hoping Stroman throws a just below league average 150 innings for the Yankees this year…..triggering his option.
Well, they pitched Gil into the ground last year so this is no surprise. Dr. Boonedoggle strikes again.
Sound point. 151 innings after just 4 ip in 2023 and just 21 the year before seems odd.
151 innings is hardly pitching him into the ground. He is a pro athlete and his job is a starting pitcher. But of course , it always has to be Boones’s fault.
163 innings, if you count the playoffs and rehab starts.
And while his job is to be a starting pitcher, his shoulder and his elbow don’t know that.
And when you take a guy who has had injury issues his entire career, that has thrown 29 innings in two seasons combined and throw him out there for that many innings, you drastically increase the chance of injury.
It’s not about his “toughness” or his desire to pitch.
They all break eventually, but when you do that do a pitcher you increase the odds by a whole lot.
@why @theruns
Gentleman please let us know where you got your medical degree from? Pitching on average, 5 innings per start is far from being overworked and if his injury had anything to do with his 2024 workload or wouldn’t take until spring 2025 to manifest itself. Unless he was hiding an injury that occurred last year then it’s a non-issue. plus learn how these things work
Breaking three ribs avoiding a come backer? Did he bump into a truck?
The Stro show lives to see another day
Cashman is still perfectly capable of trading Stroman–tomorrow.
Stro might be needed for 30 starts.