Luis Gil earns Yankees’ final rotation spot after eye-opening spring

MEXICO CITY — Luis Gil has won the Yankees’ fifth starter job.

Aaron Boone said Sunday that Gil will start the season in the Yankees rotation, winning the job created by Gerrit Cole’s elbow injury with a standout spring that went beyond the team’s expectations.

The 25-year-old right-hander’s primary competition for the job was Will Warren, though Boone said Warren not yet being on the 40-man roster did not have anything to do with him not claiming the role.

Gil, who has not pitched in the big leagues since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022, opened plenty of eyes inside and outside of the organization with a terrific spring.

His headline outing was against the Phillies’ A-lineup, when he struck out eight across 3 ⅔ scoreless innings.

That dominant outing proved to the Yankees that Gil could be a legitimate option for them even sooner than they initially expected.

Gil’s first start will come next Monday against the Diamondbacks in Phoenix as the Yankees are expected to be without Cole for at least the first two months of the season.