TAMPA — When Aaron Bone revealed earlier this week that Luis Gil had a high-grade lat strain that would come with at least a six-week shutdown, he mentioned that the Yankees were still getting additional opinions from doctors.
That has happened and while Gil’s diagnosis did not get any worse, it did not get any better.
The reigning AL Rookie of the Year flew back to New York this week to undergo a more sophisticated MRI than the one he got in Tampa over the weekend, Brian Cashman said Thursday, which confirmed their initial read on it.
Gil also got a PRP injection before heading back to camp, but he is still unlikely to pitch for the Yankees until June at the earliest, if not later.
“You’re talking three months we’re not going to see him,” Cashman said before an 8-4 loss to the Twins at Steinbrenner Field. “That’s unfortunate. But it’s also part of the existence of pitching. We’ll have to hold the fort while he’s gone.
“Thankfully, as long as we handle it right, we’ll get him back sometime in the summer. But he’s gonna be down for a long time.”
Gerrit Cole’s fastball velocity took a step up in his second start of the spring Thursday, but with it, his command took a step back.
The result was allowing six runs on five hits over 2 ²/₃ innings against the Twins, though the most important thing he did was build his pitch count up to 54 while coming through healthy.
“I think the little extra horsepower today and little extra movement today, it was just miss or middle,” said Cole, whose fastball averaged 95.7 mph and topped out at 98. “I’m not throwing some of those pitches in a game. But I’m just taking the opportunity to keep working on the fastball. I liked a lot of the characteristics of it except for the command.”
Clarke Schmidt threw 30 pitches and the equivalent of two innings in a live batting practice session on a back field Thursday.
He is slightly behind after the Yankees gave him some time to deal with a “cranky” back, but he believes he can still be ready to start the season on time.
“Definitely progressing in the right direction,” said Schmidt, whose next action could come in a game next week. “Still feel comfortable with Opening Day and excited with where I’m at, especially body-wise.”
