Luis Gil shines as Yankees return from IL

CHICAGO – That’s why it might be difficult to put Luis Gil in the bullpen.

As much as the Yankees could use him as a closer when the right-hander plays, he is one of their most valuable starters.

After returning from the injured list, Gil dominated the game, going six hitless innings with just one hit to help the Yankees to a 3-0 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon.

“Excellent,” said manager Aaron Boone. “I actually thought the last inning was maybe his best. Easy, no effort. He seemed really sharp at the end, which was encouraging. Six shutouts in total to open the series, it couldn't have gone any better.”

After missing the minimum 15 days due to a back strain, Gil was barely fazed.

His velocity was a little lower – his fastball averaged 95 mph compared to the 96.8 mph he averaged the rest of the year – but that didn't affect his ability to get outs, and his velocity improved as the day went on.

In between, Gil could still hit back to 98 mph when needed, like in the second inning, where he got one of his seven strikeouts that day.

He only ran two.

“The more innings I pitched, the more comfortable and loose I felt on the mound,” Gil said through an interpreter. “The arm felt good and was in a good rhythm. I felt like I had more towards the end [velocity] and felt stronger.”

While Gil returned from the injured list on Friday, Clarke Schmidt will do the same on Saturday, which will give the Yankees a rotation crisis if everyone stays healthy.

Boone has said a starter will likely end up in the bullpen, and it's not hard to imagine Gil's skills as a shutdown player playing well in the back end as well.

But on Friday, it was also easy to imagine Gil being a strong candidate to start a playoff game next month if he can keep it up despite significantly exceeding his career high innings.

“It's a battle, so this opportunity would be great for us,” Gil said. “We just want to keep our team in the best position possible and keep fighting.”