TAMPA, Fla. -- The Yankees raved that Luis Gil turned back the clock with five dominant innings against the Orioles on Friday evening, but it wasn’t enough to secure his place in the rotation -- at least, for now.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said his club is likely to begin the season with a four-man rotation, citing four off-days within the first 13 days. Max Fried is set to start Wednesday’s opener against the Giants, with Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers in line to follow.
Gil will remain behind in Tampa to throw live batting practice on Wednesday, pitching coach Matt Blake said. The club is considering optioning Gil to the Minors; if they don’t, Blake said he’d be comfortable using Gil in a piggyback role.
“He’d like to be a starter with us, so it’s frustrating,” Blake said. “But at the same time, he understands the position we’re in with the way the schedule lines up for the first two weeks. Now it’s a matter of making sure we do right by him and keep him in rhythm, and also find the best balance for the bullpen and our starting group.”
Gil’s worst spring start came on March 15 against the Tigers, when he was hammered for seven runs and nine hits over three innings. He rebounded on Friday, striking out seven Orioles over five scoreless, one-hit innings.
“We feel good about the adjustment he made going into the last outing,” Blake said. “He got the quality of the fastball back -- the velo up, the miss. All of those things are important to see. Now it’s just a matter of what that looks like the first couple of weeks of the season.”
Overall, Gil finished the spring with a 4.66 ERA in 19 1/3 innings. Statistically, Weathers had a rougher spring (11.68 ERA in 12 1/3 innings), but the Yankees have said they are pleased with Weathers’ stuff and underlying metrics.
The four-man rotation is feasible because the Yankees have scheduled off-days on March 26, March 29, April 2 and April 6. They would not need a fifth starter until April 11 against the Rays at Tropicana Field.
Other decisions remain unsettled. Boone said New York is still finalizing the bullpen, with those calls expected sometime on Monday.
Six relievers are locks: David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough. Depending on Gil’s status, that leaves two or three spots for Osvaldo Bido, Jake Bird, Brent Headrick and Rule 5 Draft pick Cade Winquest.
“I don’t think there’s a clear right answer,” Blake said. “It’s trying to figure out the one that makes the most sense.”