Luis Gil Injury Update: Yankees starter exits in fourth inning vs Guardians due to lower back tightness

New York Yankees starter Luis Gil left Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians in the fourth inning with what is reported to be lower back tightness. Gil allowed three earned runs, six walks and three strikeouts. When he left, the Yankees were trailing 3-2.

Later in the game, Dr. David Trofa, the team’s orthopedic doctor, examined Gil. For now, the Yankees said that no imaging is scheduled and that the pitcher will be reevaluated on his injury on Wednesday.

Coming into the game, Gil had extra rest after seven days of pitching. His last start was against the Chicago White Sox last Monday, where he pitched four innings, giving up seven hits and four earned runs.

At the moment, the game is in extra innings, with both teams at 3-3 after nine innings.

On the season, Luis Gil is 12-6 with a 3.39 ERA in 25 starts. However, he has issued 66 walks, which is alarming. Despite debuting in Aug. 2021, Gil is still considered a rookie in the majors, with his last two seasons going to waste due to Tommy John surgery.

What did Aaron Boone say about Luis Gil coming into this game?

MLB: Game Two: Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees (Source: Imagn)

Ahead of the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked whether pitching Luis Gil on extra rest would help him with his command issues of late. To this, the skipper replied:

“Stuff-wise, I think he’s in a really good spot. He feels very good, looks strong to me,” Boone said. “Will the rest benefit him? I don’t know. Sometimes it can even throw you off a little bit, but I think over the long haul, it hopefully will serve him well.”

For now, it seems, the extra rest may not have gone as intended and instead, their star ace has gone down with an injury, the severity of which is unknown at the moment.

The Yankees, of course, can't afford to lose a starter at this point. They are in a tight race with the Baltimore Orioles for the division lead and are looking forward to a deep postseason run. For that, they'll require all hands on deck!