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.
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
But they don’t trick fans. We repeatedly talk about how poorly the roster is constructed, and fans of other teams tell us how grateful we should be because they spend a lot of money and {finally} made it to the WS last year.
Cashman and Boone should have been gone several years ago, because they both repeat the same mistakes every year, and every year tell us how good they’re going to be. This year is no different. They have a great pitching staff, but are an injury away from being mediocre.
Don’t even get me started on the position player debacle that they put themselves in by trying to save money year after year. And another upper level prospect is likely going to go to another team for free when he is put on waivers to keep 90-year-old DJ on the roster.
I could go on, but it’s pointless.
I don’t get how you say Cashman puts together flawed teams but Boone wins on average 95 games a year and you say he is bad. If Cashman is giving you a bad product then Boone is doing a hell of a job. If it’s Boone then Cashman is giving you quality team every year. The problem isn’t both of them with the average of 95 wins a season under Boone.
No, that’s not true. You can’t make it binary option. It can be true that they win 95 games but are both doing worse than they should.
And my point is exactly that: Boone should be winning more, but Cashman should be putting together a better roster. I never said Boone was bad, but he certainly isn’t good enough to warrant a decade-long managerial tenure with the Yankees. If he IS that good, then Cashman should be held directly responsible for the fact the Yankees haven’t won in so long.
Boone is fine during the season but is out-managed in critical games against the better teams. He also has been notably soft on discipline with personnel.
Boone has done a fabulous job. I don’t get Yankee fans who say he has no “feel” for the game. He’s from a three-generation big-league family and has been around MLB his entire life. I’m reasonably sure he has a better feel for the game than any of us fans.
Any of us fans ain’t in the dugout calling in Cortez at the worst possible time.
And, if Boone is doing such a great job, how did they miss the playoffs entirely only two season ago? I just don’t see it, and especially not enough to warrant a ten-year job managing.
We fans aren’t with the team every day, and we’re taking the heat for a decision that doesn’t work out. We shouldn’t flatter ourselves by thinking we know more about managing a team than the team’s manager.
Also, Boone has gotten results. It’s not a failed season to not win the championship. If that were the case, then most people fail every year. Enjoy the games. And if your team doesn’t win it all, it’s no big deal. That’s life.
Aw, they missed the playoffs one year. What’s the matter? Did people make fun of you at work when they missed the playoffs?
I agree with you it’s probably time for Cashman to move on. I don’t agree with Boone doing a bad job. You all point to after the fact mistakes he makes but every losing manager has them. What about the thousand in game decisions he has made that have been good? I think you might be sadly not happy with a whole organization regime change and the results that could follow.
@Yankee
Boone had the 2nd best winning % among active managers with Dave Tigers being #1. After watching this post WS I’m not sure how you can blame Cashman for their failure. It’s not like it was Verdugo, Rizzo or DJ making those errors. It was Cole, Volpe, Jazz and Judge. Defenders who normally are much better defensively. It wasn’t an endemic offense because Stanton was striking out av gallon times or DJ coming up empty. It was the MVP of the year struggling to get hits. The Yankees were absolutely talented enough to win the WS last year. At some point it’s on the players to produce my the executives.
I’m not sure how you can say Boone has done a fabulous job, and then when I point out that he missed the playoffs entirely, turn into a troll. Maybe you were trolling to begin with? I don’t know.
Yankee Clipper: 95-67 is a .586 winning percentage. That’s as good as it generally gets with 100+ wins being an outlier.
That’s true, Blue, but it’s the critical spots that get him in trouble. Again, I don’t think he’s bad, but I don’t think he’s irreplaceable. If he is that good, there’s no way Cashman’s job can be justified.
I think he’s doing a fantastic job I couldn’t even imagine all the additional BS that comes along with being in New York. The media alone makes his job 10 times harder . All that said he really seemed to have taken a low ball offer to stay in the New York dugout compared to what his peers are being paid .
that decision to pitch Nestor really showed his “feel” for the game.
This may be the best most concise and accurate explanation I’ve read.
Fired for missing the playoffs 1 year? Penalty for that should be death!
@Yankees
Are you serious? How about Rizzo, Judge and Stanton missing 60 games each? Or having only Cole and Schmidt as your only starters to pitch over 150 innings as Seven, German, Rodon, etc, missed more than half the season and had horrible numbers when they did pitch? You can’t put that on Boone.
in fact i would say it’s a testament to him keeping that team above. 500 with all those injuries. .
@Yankee
So who’s the sure-fire can’t miss manager Cashman should hire to chase, what, 5 more wins? Is that a risk worth taking? Is that mngr going to keep the players healthy or help Judge hit his way out of his post- season funk?
@Hitter
The logic was sound. The new rule says any relief pitcher had to pitch to a minimum of 3 hitters. Cortes was better vs lefties than Hill AND better vs righties too. It’s so easy to criticize a move street or plays out poorly. Had Cortez gotten everyone out then no one would’ve even acknowledged it as a good move.
Cortez is a starter who because of an injury hadn’t pitched in a month. He had no business in the game at that time.
Knicks: what are you talking about? How does Stanton being injured translate to what I said of Boone?
And how are you able to predict with such accuracy the affect those injuries have on the team’s performance?
Regardless, you’re just talking to talk. How about this: Boone took 7 years to achieve what Girardi did in his last year with the team. SEVEN years. And he did it with more resources and support than Girardi had.
You keep talking like I said Boone is a terrible manager. I didn’t say that. In fact, I said he is undeserving of the contracts he has received, which will total 10 years. I also said he misses crucial decisions in key spots that cost him.
BTW, you have a STRIKING resemblance to Joel P. You hiding something? Because only one person on here has this kind of devolving logic and keeps running in circles with it.
If you are him, which I strongly suspect, I have no interest in furthering this discussion.
@Yankee
What an inherently stupid thing to say. Stroman, as bad as most want to say he is, ranked top 65 among pitchers that threw at least 150 innings last year and he’s their 6th man. A very expensive one but 6th man nonetheless. Most teams would be lucky to have a guy like him “hanging around”. They actually had 7 starters before trading Cortez to get Williams but they’re no way they could carry all 7 or send 1 to AAA. The new for Gil is upsetting and hopefully it won’t require surgery or a long recovery. The last thing you can say tho is that they have no depth. Most ppl 6th starter are unproven prospects or AAAA who are not quiet good enough to make a team but a little better than AA-AAA guys.
KnicksFan: If it’s inherently stupid to say that why did they not allow him to throw even one pitch in the postseason?
I feel like you are too willing to accept administrative excuses for lack of performance, while buying into the Yankees tired “We are championship caliber” narrative. Bottom line is that they are *not a championship team until they prove they are. And if it IS on the players, who is responsible for putting those players on the roster?! Who is responsible for making sure those players are prepared for the games?!
They talk big, and fail big. This team will not win a championship with a Boone/Cashman tandem.
Top 65 out of how many
@Yankee
Stroman didn’t pitch in the playoffs because the margin for error is a lot smaller in a 5 or 7-game series vs. a 162 game season? Was that really a question? most teams go with 3 starters because with the days off in between the game, they want their best pitchers pitching. It’s same reason why they have SP on a shorter leash. It’s more important for your ace to pitch twice in a series vs going 5 deep. Your logic is so silly it’s not even worth arguing. Judge had an iconic season over 162 game but comes up short in a 7 game series and that’s in Boone or Cashman? No it’s on the player.
Knicks: I’m assuming you’re being adversarial just for the sake of doing so, but if you need me to explain to you that Stroman as a number 5 SP doesn’t mean we have depth, then I can’t help you. But Stroman being a number 5 does not mean our rotation retains its top status of one of our main three go down for injury. You’re saying he’s an elite pitcher, I wholeheartedly disagree with your assessment.
I think you’re just attempting to be difficult.
@Sorio
These rebuttal questions are shocking. The fact that he a #5 starter that takes 65th in ERA should in and of itself speak volumes considering there are 30 teams with 5 risk spots. That means he could be a 3rd or 4th starter as l on most teams based off of ERA/FIP. But for the record, only 71 starters threw over a 150 innings last year. One of the prerequisites you look for from a SP in a rotation is their ability to eat innings. But to lower the bar, Stroman ranked 91st out of 126 pitchers that threw 100 innings or more. So if you ranked all of those guys by their results (ERA) he would be a #3 starter on most teams. He’s the Yanks 6th starter and while he might be a bit overpaid he really isn’t that bad when you look at the salaries of guys beneath him under contact and signed this year.
What if you don’t use *only* ERA to rank him to suit your own argument though?
@Yankee
Please show me where I said Stroman is “elite”. “Elite” is the top 20 guys in most cases. I would say that Stromsn is a serviceable major league starter. Easily. If there were only 126 SP that threw 100 innings last year then that means that if you asked those pitchers out evenly among the 30 teams that none of them had 5 starters that threw enough serviceable innings and had an ERA/FIP lower than Stroman.
Teams with SP who thru at least 100 innings with an ERA under 4.50.
Angels (2), Astros (3), Athletics (1), Blue Jays (3), Braves (5), Brewers (3), Cardinals (4), Cubs (4), Diamondbacks (1), Dodgers (2), Giants (2), Guardians (2), Mariners (5), Marlins (1), Mets (4), Nationals (3), Orioles (4), Padres (2), Phillies (4), Pirates (4), Rangers (2), Rays (4), Red Sox (4), Reds (2), Rockies (1), Royals (4), Tigers (3), Twins (4), White Sox (2) and Yanks (4). Now this doesn’t factor in this off-season trades and acquisitions but it is telling. 12 teams didn’t even have a 3rd starter that pitched over 100 innings with an ERA better than Stroman. The Yanks were hoping that Cole and Schmidt would bounce back from injuries and that Reid and others can stay healthy and productive too but on paper they look great with Stroman and their AAA staff as their depth. They are far more prepared than most teams.
@Yankees
No it doesn’t. I never said he was elite. I’m looking at durability (innings pitched) and results (ERA. His FIP isn’t far behind his ERA). Any other analysis (homers, KS, walks, GB%, etc) can show HOW he arrived at his ERA but I’m not concerned with the breakdown just the overall results. There are 150 SP rotation spots but there aren’t 80 SP better than him in terms of innings and ERA last year and the fact that he’s their 6th starter is a great thing, despite his salary. If he was a FA willing to accept a 1/$10 mil contract, based off of 2024 results, he would’ve have a great market if suitors lineup to sign him despite the “cancer” tag.
Knicks: So out of those two lengthy posts, can you please point me to where either of those prove Stroman keeps our pitching staff as one of the best in the league despite another injury?. Because you said my opinion that another injury could make our staff mediocre was “inherently stupid.”
So, now you’re saying Stroman isn’t elite, but is so good he keeps us a top pitching staff? It can’t be both. You’re just using circular reasoning.
The value of Boone is when he gets interviewed by Jomboy. Some of the best entertainment from baseball is listening to Boone either be offended by something Jomboy says, or by listening to some nonsensical explanation where he just runs around in circles.
It’s not just me, ask the Yankees fans here, they’re of the same opinion lol
How are we tricked? We say it more than anyone that Cashman has put together a flawed team and thrown away crap loads of money on the wrong players.
Yankee Fans, who would you say is most responsible for the lapses in defense we saw throughout the season but manifest in a real regrettable way Game 5 of WS? Does that fall directly on Boone not cracking the whip so to speak; or is it on the other coaches, or is it lack of player focus entirely ?? Thnx
Ignorant sob I’d say there’s blame to go around though the fifth inning was just one of those things. Judge and Volpe are typically sure handed. Cole just got caught flat footed at the worst possible moment. The blame is on Cashman for not prioritizing higher baseball IQ guys, Boone for trying to be every player’s bestie and the players themselves for not trying to be better.
And then sometimes you just lose and don’t really have to blame anyone.
Lose….. for 15 years?
That’s the problem. Yankee fans think it’s the 1920’s and they should dominate baseball. Hate to break it to you but it might be another 15 years before you win another one no matter who runs the organization. It’s the way baseball is in the modern era. More playoff teams with short series and a ball lands six inches one way or the other.
So, YOU are the guy to tell Yankees fans how to judge their team? Wow, talk about pretentious. How about you focus on making excuses for your team’s losing?
I am considered old school, ya know, when men were competitive and didn’t accept losing like it was a gift.
Clipper it’s always hilarious to me when someone suggests we should be happy with losing. Why even bother watching if you’re ok with not winning?
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).
“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.
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
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.
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.