Yankees Set To Get Luis Gil Back In Rotation

The Yankees are finally getting one of their key starting pitchers back, and moving on from a player they previously took a chance on in the Rule 5 draft in the process.

Pitcher Cade Winquest is expected to be designated for assignment, as first reported by MLB insider Jon Heyman. According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, the move is intended to make room for the much-anticipated return of Luis Gil to the Yankees rotation. Gil is expected to make his season debut on Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Yankees began the season with a four-man rotation, which the schedule allowed them to do while giving Gil extra time to get fully ready for the season in the minors. Gil allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings in his most recent appearance for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the eighth round of the 2022 MLB Amateur Draft, Winquest has yet to pitch in the major leagues. The highest level he's reached has been for Double-A Springfield in the Cardinals organization in the 2025 season. The Yanks selected Winquest 13th overall in the 2025 Rule 5 Draft from the Cards. Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters that Winquest never pitched for them because they didn't have a low-leverage situation in which they'd be comfortable deploying him.

Winquest essentially functioned as a placeholder for Gil on the 26-man roster. The Yankees are now back to full strength in the rotation--well, not including the still-rehabbing Gerrit Cole, anyway. But the Yanks are off to a strong start at 8-4, and they're hoping that Gil can regain the level of performance he was at in his 2024 Rookie of the Year campaign.