Oct 8, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone signals to the bullpen during the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game four of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Aaron Boone Announces Yankees Rotation With One Notable Omission

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Jordon Lawrenz | Last updated Mar 22, 2026 4:30 PM ET

After much speculation, Aaron Boone has confirmed the New York Yankees are using a four-man rotation to begin the season.

Boone's news comes shortly after Luis Gil put forward his best start of 2026, though it may have been too little too late.

Yankees' Chris Kirschner reported the team is "still deciding" if Gil will make the Opening Day roster.

It should be noted that no matter what, Gil will be back. Their extra few off days early in the year were going to mess with how many days of rest guys like Max Fried, Will Warren, Cam Schlittler, and Ryan Weathers were going to get, so Boone decided to leave Gil out of the equation entirely.

Odd Schedule Leaves Gil Out of the Mix

The Yankees will use a four-man rotation to begin the season, Aaron Boone said.

Ryan Weathers will start the fourth game of the season.

They’re still deciding if Luis Gil will make the roster.
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) March 22, 2026

The Yankees have an extremely unique schedule to start the 2026 season. Not only do they open play on March 25, one day before every other team takes the field, but they're actually off the following day.

New York has a three-game series in four days in San Francisco, then will enjoy a day off before heading to Seattle. To no surprise, they have another off day after that series ends as they head to Yankee Stadium for their first home series of the year.

Even though the Yankees have a six-game homestand, there's still an off-day in-between. April 6 is the team's final off day until the 20th, so at that point New York will certainly need Gil as they have a stretch of 13 games in a row.

What do the Yankees do With Luis Gil?

Luis Gil will remain behind in Tampa and throw live batting practice on Wednesday. The Yanks are considering optioning him to the Minors. If they don't, Matt Blake said they may use him in a piggyback role.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 22, 2026

Even though both Gil and Weathers have been quite poor this spring, Boone has decided that Gil is going to be the one to wait his turn. Whether or not his decision pays off remains to be seen, but it won't be hard to tell when Gil makes his first start in mid-April.

Bryan Hoch mentioned, "Luis Gil will remain behind in Tampa and throw live batting practice on Wednesday. The Yanks are considering optioning him to the Minors. If they don't, Matt Blake said they may use him in a piggyback role."

While Gil does have an option, it seems like a bad time to use it. They'd be lucky to get one or two starts out of him in Triple-A before he's needed at the big league level, and then they're stuck with him in the majors no matter what happens.

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This article first appeared on New York Yankees on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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