The New York Yankees spent nearly the entire spring and summer waiting for Luis Gil to return from a severe lat strain, hoping the electric right-hander could again anchor their rotation. After dazzling in 2024 with a 3.50 ERA, 171 strikeouts, and the AL Rookie of the Year trophy, Gil looked like the next ace in the Bronx. But the sequel to that breakout story didn’t quite match the original.

What unfolded in 2025 was a reminder that baseball rarely follows a perfect script. Gil’s surface-level numbers — a 3.32 ERA across 11 starts — suggested stability. Yet beneath that shine lurked troubling signs: a 4.78 expected ERA (xERA), a 4.63 FIP, and a 5.65 xFIP. His strikeout rate plummeted from 26.8% to just 16.8%, stripping away the fearsome edge that once defined his fastball-slider combinat

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