The New York Yankees made an error with Luis Gil, according to pitching coach Matt Blake. Gil, who won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2024, was one of the first players sent from the Yankees’ major league spring training camp to the minor leagues last year. Blake explained on MLB Network’s Loud Outs that the decision was made to protect Gil, but it likely upset him. “We sent him out early in spring training more so to kind of protect him,” Blake said. “And I think, again, it kind of probably rubbed him the wrong way. It was a little bit like, ‘Why am I not competing for a job here? Why am I getting sent back to the minor leagues?’ And you know, at the end of the day, we probably were wrong in that regard.”
Although the Yankees initially underestimated Gil’s readiness to return after his 2022 Tommy John surgery, they quickly changed their minds. Gil made the big league roster and impressed with a 9-1 record and a 2.03 ERA, winning both the AL Pitcher and Rookie of the Month awards for May. Blake praised his progress, noting that his fastball command and changeup improved early on, and he redesigned his slider with help from former Yankees pitcher Luis Severino and assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel. Despite some midseason fatigue, Gil finished the year strong and contributed in the postseason.
Gil, 26, made his MLB debut in 2021 but retained rookie status due to spending only 45 days in the majors and pitching 43 ⅓ innings before undergoing elbow surgery in 2022. He missed the entire 2023 season.
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