The New York Yankees continue to have problems with the health of their players in spring training 2025, after they confirmed Thursday that 26-year-old Dominican pitcher Luis Gil will be on the injured list for at least three months due to a strain in the dorsal muscle
Although their main concern is the recovery of their designated hitter, Giancarlo Stanton, they decided that they will only undergo surgery on their elbows as a last resort, as they would miss the entire season, according to a report from their manager, Brian Cashman
Their third injured player is infielder DJ LeMahieu, who told reporters that he has a first or second degree strain in his left calf, and will also miss several weeks of action for the fifth consecutive season where he suffers injuries
Luis Gil’s injury
Gil, the current American League Rookie of the Year, had to suspend his bullpen session last Friday due to discomfort in his pitching shoulder and was immediately moved to New York for an MRI, which revealed a high-grade dorsal strain.
In fact, the estimate of his return, according to Brian Cashman, is that he will return “sometime in the summer,” which is bad news for one of the Yankees’ important arms in the starting rotation. He went 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 29 starts last year, with 171 strikeouts and 77 walks, the most in Major League Baseball, in 151-2/3 innings.
His place in the rotation will be taken by Marcus Stroman, in a starting group that also includes Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt.
In the case of Stanton, he said he has not swung a bat in three or four weeks because of his elbow ailments and to treat it, he received a second round of platelet-rich plasma injections in both elbows. On his recovery, Cashman said he expected his return to Tampa by the weekend.
“Clearly we hope to be able to count on him at some point, but obviously in the short term that will not be possible,” Cashman explained
And about the surgery, he reiterated that they will seek to avoid it at all costs: “It would be a last resort. I can’t rule out surgery, although I know it’s not recommended at the beginning of this process, but obviously if you have several failed attempts, then you start to consider different ways of intervention.”
Stanton was healthy in 2024 and had great offensive numbers, hitting .233 with 27 home runs and 72 RBIs in 114 games last year. Although he suffered a strain in his left hamstring between June 22 and July 29. While in the postseason he hit .273 with seven home runs and 16 RBIs
He signed a record $325 million, 13-year contract with the Miami Marlins before the 2015 season and had 59 home runs and 132 RBIs in 2017 to win the National League MVP award. He joined the Yankees in December of that year and hit 38 home runs with 100 RBIs.
He missed 266 of 708 games over the next five seasons due to injuries such as: strains to his right biceps, right knee, left hamstring (twice) and left quadriceps, along with inflammation in his right ankle and tendinitis in his left Achilles tendon.
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