Luis Gil not in season-opening rotation, Yankees deciding what’s next

TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees beat the Phillies 6-1 in their last Grapefruit League of the spring on Sunday afternoon, then bussed 10 minutes to the Tampa International Airport for a charter flight to Phoenix. Rehabbing ace Gerrit Cole was on the plane because he’ll make a two-inning start Tuesday against the Cubs in the second of the Yankees’ exhibitions in Mesa, Ariz. Also on the charter was left-hander Ryan Weathers, who will begin the season as the Yankees’ fourth starter. He’.l follow Cole into the Yankees’ last tuneup before Wednesday’s season opener in San Francisco. Right-hander Luis Gil was left behind in Tampa. Following Wednesday’s game, the Yankees will be off four times in the next nine days, so they’ve opted to begin the season with four starters instead of five. Gil is the odd-man out of the Yankees’ season-opening rotation and will be optioned to Triple-A. The Yankees are going this route even though Gil’s high 6.28 ERA in four spring starts is almost twice as low as Weathers 11.68 in four outings. The Yankees think Weathers has been victimized by a lot of bad luck, but were concerned about Gil until he made a change to his mechanics for his final spring start. Throwing with a higher release point, Gil was back in his 2024 AL Rookie of the Year form pitching five shutout innings of one-hit ball with seven strikeouts and one walk facing the Orioles last Friday night. Next for Gil, he’s scheduled to throw an 85-pitch live BP in Tampa on Wednesday, and then … Actually, the Yankees hadn’t made a final decision on what would come next before leaving Florida. If Gil’s live on Wednesday goes as well as his last start, he could rejoin the Yankees and pitched twice as a piggyback reliever for Weathers’ second and third start. “I think there’s a there’s a scenario where it’s behind Weathers,” pitching coach Matt Blake said. “There’s a scenario where it’s not that role.” Gil makes two Triple-A starts, then rejoins the Yankees to makes his season debut in a road start against the Rays on April 11. That’s the first day the Yankees would need a fifth starter. After his live, Gil could start for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with an extra day of rest in Rochester on March 31, then go again on regular rest against Durham at home on April 5. “We’re still trying to work through that over the next 48-72 hours, just to kind of iron out what the best environment is to get him to stay where he is,” Blake said. “We feel good about the adjustment he made going to the last outing. He got the quality of the fastball back, the velo up, the (swing and) miss. All those things are important to see. “Now it’s a matter of what that looks like in the first couple weeks of the season. … We’re getting him the 85 pitches or so on Wednesday, and then going from there.” Either way, Gil will be optioned. That will allow the Yankees to start the season with nine relievers instead of eight. As of Sunday, there four candidates for three spots. It’s believed left-hander Brett Headrick will be on the roster, for sure. Jake Bird and Rule 5 draft pick Cade Winquest are favorites over Osvaldo Bido for the last two spots. Bido is out of options, so he’ll be designated for assignment if he doesn’t make the cut. Winquest has to be on the team or be offered back to his old club, the Cardinals. The Yankees have until Wednesday to decide, but are expected to settle on a bullpen by Monday. “It’s a conversation we’ve been having really over the last four or five days as it’s really starting to come down to the wire,” Blake said. “A lot of voices are all sharing different thoughts around it. I don’t think there’s a clear right answer, but it’s trying to figure out the one that makes the most sense out of the out of the jump.” “Obviously, he’d like to be a starter with us (right away),” Blake said. “Frustrating, but at the same time he understands the position we’re in, which is the way the schedule lines up for the first two weeks in particular. “Now it’s just a matter of making sure we do right by him and make sure we keep him in rhythm and then also find the best balance for the bullpen and in our starting group. So it’s not necessarily a specific decision around Luis.”