Luis Gil (baseball)

Luis Ángel Gil (Spanish pronunciation:[xil]; born June 3, 1998) is a Dominican professionalbaseball pitcher for theNew York Yankees ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). Gil signed with theMinnesota Twins as an internationalfree agent in 2015, and he made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Yankees. He won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2024.

Luis Gil

New York Yankees – No. 81
Pitcher
Born: (1998-06-03)June 3, 1998 (age 26) Azua, Dominican Republic
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 3, 2021, for the New York Yankees
MLB statistics (through 2024 season)
Win–loss record	16–8
Earned run average	3.55
Strikeouts	214
Stats atBaseball Reference

Teams
New York Yankees (2021–2022,2024–present)
Career highlights and awards
AL Rookie of the Year (2024)

Career

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Minnesota Twins

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Minor leagues

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Gil signed with theMinnesota Twins as an international free agent on February 12, 2015, for a $90,000signing bonus.^[1] He made his professional debut that season with theDominican Summer League Twins, going 1–2 with a 4.63 ERA over23+1⁄3 innings. After not pitching in 2016, he spent 2017 with the Dominican Summer League Twins, pitching to a 0–2 record with a 2.59earned run average over 14 starts.^{[citation needed]}

New York Yankees

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On March 16, 2018, the Twins traded Gil to theNew York Yankees in exchange forJake Cave.^[2]^[3] He spent the season with the rookie–levelPulaski Yankees and Low–AStaten Island Yankees, compiling a combined 2–3 record and 1.96 ERA over 12 starts, striking out 68 over 46 innings. He started 2019 with the Single–ACharleston RiverDogs,^[4] and was promoted to the High–ATampa Tarpons in July. Over twenty starts between the two teams, Gil went 5–5 with a 2.72 ERA, compiling 123 strikeouts over 96 innings.^{[citation needed]}

Gil began the 2021 season with the Double–ASomerset Patriots and was promoted to the Triple–AScranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in June.^[5] On July 21, Gil combined withReggie McClain andStephen Ridings to throw ano-hitter for the RailRiders.^[6]

Major leagues

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The Yankees promoted him to the major leagues for the first time on August 3, 2021, making his major league debut with a start against theBaltimore Orioles.^[7] He pitched six innings, allowed four hits and recorded six strikeouts, earning the win.^[8] Gil started his career with15+2⁄3 scoreless innings, the most by any Yankee pitcher since 1961. He is the first pitcher in MLB history with a scoreless start in his first three appearances.^[9]

Gil pitched for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2022, and made one appearance for the Yankees (giving up four earned runs in four innings).^[10] He injured his elbow during a May 2022 game and requiredTommy John surgery, ending his 2022 season.^[11] With Scranton, he was 0-3 with a 7.89 ERA in six starts over which he pitched 21.2 innings and had a WHIP of 1.662.^[12]

He began the 2023 season on the 60-day injured list and returned to action in September 2023, making two rehab starts for High–A Tampa. There, he gave up five earned runs in four innings.^[12] Gil did not make an appearance in the majors the 2023 season.^[12]

The Yankees named Gil to theirstarting rotation for the start of the 2024 season, following aceGerrit Cole's injury during spring training.^[13] On May 18, Gil recorded 14 strikeouts against theChicago White Sox, breakingOrlando Hernández's record (13) for the most by a Yankees rookie. Hernández coincidentally threw out the game'sfirst pitch.^[14] Gil received theAmerican League Pitcher of the Month after winning all six of his May starts, and conceding an ERA of only 0.70 with 14 hits in38+2⁄3 innings, along with 44 strikeouts.^[15]^[16] On August 21, the team placed Gil on the 15-day injured list with a lower-back strain, reactivating him on September 5.^[17]^[18] Gil returned to the Yankees' rotation against theChicago Cubs on September 6, pitching 6 scoreless innings and conceding only one hit to earn his 13th win on the season.^[19]

After the season, Gil was namedAL Rookie of the Year.^[20]^[21] In 29 total starts for the Yankees in 2024, he posted a 15-7 record and 3.50 ERA with 171 strikeouts across151+2⁄3 innings pitched.^[22]

On March 3, 2025, Gil was shut down for at least six weeks due to a high-gradelat strain.^[23] He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on March 24.^[24]