Luis Gil leaves the Yankees' game against the Guardians due to a back injury

NEW YORK – Yankees starter Luis Gil abruptly left the game Tuesday night and was escorted by an athletic trainer from the mound to the home team's locker room.

According to the club, the cause was tension in the lower back. Gil will be examined again on Wednesday, but no imaging is planned at this time. He was examined by an orthopedic surgeon at Yankee Stadium.

Concern for Gil was evident after the right-hander made an uncompetitive pitch on a stolen base by Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians in the fourth inning and did not record a single out.

After a brief conversation on the mound with manager Aaron Boone, right-hander Gil left the field with a 1-1 tie against Jose Ramirez and Cleveland took a 3-2 lead.

Left-handed reliever Tim Hill finished the inning without allowing a run.

The Guardians had boosted Gil's pitch count on Tuesday, throwing 78 pitches in three innings and allowing three runs on three hits and six walks – his best performance in a start since April 15 in Toronto.