Yankees to Add Defending Rookie of the Year for Second Half Run
The Yankees go into the All-Star break with no momentum. Health issues continue to plague their starters. Clarke Schmidt is now lost for the rest of 2025 to Tommy John surgery. Max Fried fell to a blister. The trade deadline is half a month away, and the Yankees have started to make their move.
Luis Gil, the defending A.L. Rookie of the Year, finally returned to the hill today in Somerset. As he starts rehab, the team expects him to show them what they want. Gil was shut down due to a shoulder injury that spanned the first four months of the current season. Gil threw 50 pitches, giving up a home run and nothing more. He pitched three innings and struck out six. He showed the pitching arsenal, including his fastball, that he had before the injury. The control was there, with 36 of his pitches hitting the zone. The Yankees know what they plan to do with Luis. "As we chart out his days to pitch," Boone explained, "we know what he will be on July 30th."
Boone's comment sets a great tone as the tradeline is a day later. The perception that the Yankees' starting staff is now reinforced and whole removes them from desperation mode. They have their fireballer back now, and it changes things. This will allow them to play from a position of strength. The focus should be on bullpen targets, which remain the Yankees' black hole. Gil's return certainly gives the Yankees options in more ways than one.
They can shift Cam Schlitter to the pen to reinforce it. The rookie did have a good first outing in the Major Leagues. They can shop for Trent Grisham to obtain another reliever. Spencer Jones’s Triple-A run brings immense value to acquire a third baseman who can slug. They may even be able to pry another starter with either of these two in the right package if they care to go that route. Now they have choices. The Yankees must make these choices in order to keep pace in the A.L. East. Gil allows the Yankees to make the necessary moves to make a real second-half run.
