Yankees Make Roster Move After Loss to Astros

Following spring, the 27-year-old was missing from the Yankees' opening day roster, beginning his 2026 campaign in Triple-A. He pitched one game while in the minors before heading to the big league team and making his 2026 debut against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 10. Since then, it’s been an up-and-down season with mixed results.

The move is a big difference from where Gil stood just two years ago. In 2024, he emerged as one of the Yankees’ most reliable starters with a 15-7 record and a 3.50 ERA, striking out 171 batters, winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award and helping lead the team to its first World Series appearance since 2009. A shortened 2025 season limited him to 57 innings, and his command and dominance have not yet returned. 

The Yankees have not announced a corresponding roster move yet, but it does not sound like the team will need a fifth starter until early May, according to Greg Joyce of The New York Post. The Yankees are instead looking forward to Carlos Rodon’s return, and until then, may look at Elmer Rodriguez to fill in for a bridge start before Rodon is back with the club.

Rodriguez has been a bright spot in the Yankees' system. In four games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the 22-year-old has thrown 21 1/3 innings with three earned runs while striking out 20 for a 1.27 ERA. 

A return to Triple-A allows Gil to address the command issues that plagued his brief 2026 stint, particularly a low strikeout rate, walk rate and home run rate that suggest his stuff hasn't yet returned to 2024 form. He will have to get back into that dominant form if he plans to return to the team and help them contend in October.