In the span of three starts, Luis Gil went from being in the conversation to start the All-Star Game for the American League to wondering if he would stay in the Yankees’ rotation.
Though he obviously won’t be an All-Star starter this month in Texas, Aaron Boone confirmed Wednesday the 26-year-old will make his next start on regular rest when the Yankees finish their homestand against the Red Sox on Sunday.
Regardless of how much rest Gil gets, the Yankees have to figure out how things have gone so wrong so fast.
Pitching coach Matt Blake said Wednesday that Gil is healthy, and if he’s experiencing any fatigue, it’s the normal amount for a rookie who is approaching the 90-inning mark at the midway point of the season.
Though Boone has talked about getting “creative” with Gil’s schedule around the upcoming All-Star break, there are limits to what the Yankees are willing to do, according to Blake.
“It’s about balancing with the other guys [in the rotation], too,’’ Blake said before the Yankees’ 3-2 loss to the Reds on Wednesday night in The Bronx.
The same goes for the possibility of yanking Gil from the rotation.
“You always have to weigh, if you take him out, someone has to pitch that fifth start,” Blake said. “So do you option him [to the minors]? Put him in the bullpen? You can’t IL a guy who’s not hurt, so what’s the cost to the rest of the roster?”
There’s been no talk of sending Gil down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and there’s no clear choice on the SWB roster to come up and replace him.
That leaves the Yankees in the same spot they’ve been in for the past two weeks: How do they fix Gil?
He had a 2.03 ERA through his first 14 starts on the season, having allowed just five homers and walked 39 — hitting one batter — in 80 innings.
In his past three starts, covering just 9 ²/₃ innings, he has a 14.90 ERA, given up three home runs, walked nine batters and hit five more.
“Are the delivery issues from fatigue?” Blake said. “He’s not ‘beginning of the season’ fresh, but he’s not at the point where he needs to be shut down. We’ll monitor his workload and how the ball comes out.”
Blake noted what he called the “inconsistency” that’s crept into Gil’s delivery remained there Tuesday.
“His arm slot is changing on him, so the fastball profile changes and he loses a little command,’’ Blake said. “Guys go through it in a season, there’s just more focus on him with how good he’s been. Now there’s some regression, and everyone wants to know why. It’s a little bit of everything.”
Blake stressed the team views the recent three-start stretch as “still a blip on the radar” over the course of a season.
They would like it to remain a blip and not grow into a larger problem.