Yankees Star Pitcher Struggles in Rehab Assignment

New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil's rehab assignment was moved up to Triple-A yesterday, and there is speculation he could rejoin the roster soon.

Gil started for Scranton Wilkes/Barre, throwing 67 pitches in 3.1 innings. He allowed four earned runs on four hits and struck out four batters. It wasn't a promising start, and the Yankees may opt for another rehab game to see how he develops.

A 2024 World Series starting pitcher for the Yankees, Gil has been on the Injured List since March 24, when a high grade right lat strain took him out during Spring Training. He and Gerrit Cole (March 22, elbow ligament tear) were among the first few losses to the Yankees' pitching staff this season. The team has since lost Jake Cousins, Yerry De Los Santos, Ryan Yarbrough, Fernando Cruz, Clarke Schmidt and Mark Leiter Jr. to injuries.

As the trade deadline approaches, the Yankees front office has reiterated the importance of bolstering their pitching depth, ideally with a starter and a reliever if they can swing both. Cam Schlittler, the Yankees prospect who just made his second solid start in the majors, is looking like a promising solution to some of the team's troubles.

In their most recent game with the Toronto Blue Jays, Yankees starter Max Fried was shown to be bleeding from what appeared to be the index finger blister on his pitching hand. The blister, which took him out right before All-Star Week and prevented him from pitching in the All-Star Game, may now keep the reliable ace out longer than expected.

With so much up in the air, it will be tough for the Yankees to know what to prioritize at the deadline. Defense is still clearly suffering after last night's sloppy loss to the Blue Jays, so the infield is still going to be an obvious focal point. They can't discount pitching under the circumstances though, given that Gil may not come back with the power they'd hoped for.

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