Yanks LHP Luis Gil won't begin throwing program as planned

New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil, the American League's Rookie of the Year last season, will not start his throwing program as planned due to his slow-healing right lat.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that the left-hander's strained muscle needs to show more progress before he can resume throwing. He has not thrown since Feb. 28, when an issue with his throwing shoulder revealed a "high-grade" muscle strain.

At the time Gil was shut down, the Yankees declared he would return to the rotation no sooner than June. This setback shouldn't change his timetable much.

"It's going how it should," Boone told reporters. "It's just we need another 10 days."

Gil joined such Yankees luminaries as Aaron Judge and Derek Jeter as Rookie of the Year honorees as he delivered a 15-7 record and 3.50 ERA in 29 starts last season. The right-hander led the league with 77 walks, but balanced that with 171 strikeouts over 151 2/3 innings.

He made two starts during the Yankees' run to the World Series. He went four innings against Cleveland in Game 4 of the ALCS -- allowing two runs, three hits and three walks in a game the Yankees won 8-6.

He registered another no-decision when the Yankees earned an 11-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the World Series. The Dodgers' Freddie Freeman and Will Smith poked home runs off Gil as he gave up four runs and five hits over four-plus innings.

--Field Level Media