Lower Back Tightness Sidelines Yankees’ Luis Gil in 4th Inning Against Guardians

Yankees rookie Luis Gil left his start against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night in the fourth inning due to lower back tightness. Gil signaled for an athletic trainer after throwing an 89 mph changeup to Jose Ramírez.

During the brief mound visit that included manager Aaron Boone, Tim Hill was called in to replace Gil. Before his exit, Gil had given up a home run to Brayan Rocchio and issued a four-pitch walk to Steven Kwan.

The team’s orthopedic doctor, Dr. David Trofa, examined Gil, and he is set to be reevaluated on Wednesday, though no imaging has been ordered yet. After the Yankees’ 9-5, 12-inning loss, Gil mentioned that he started feeling discomfort during the third inning, which led to two walks and a bases-loaded situation.

“I’ve never felt anything like that before,” Gil shared through a translator. “You worry because leaving the game due to pain isn’t normal, but we just have to see how things go and take it one day at a time.”

Pitching with seven days’ rest, Gil allowed three runs on three hits over three-plus innings. His control was off, leading to six walks while only delivering first-pitch strikes to six of the 19 batters he faced.

Gil holds a 12-6 record with a 3.39 ERA over 25 starts but has walked 66 batters in 124 2/3 innings. This follows his return after missing two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Having debuted in August 2021, Gil posted a 1-1 record with a 3.38 ERA in six games. He made one start in 2022 before suffering another injury. This loss dropped the Yankees to second place in the AL East, trailing Baltimore by half a game.