TAMPA — Luis Gil’s dominant final start of the spring was still not enough to lock up a spot in the Yankees four-man rotation to begin the season.
Now the question is whether he will open the year in the bullpen or the minors until the Yankees need a fifth starter in early April.
With four off-days in the first 13 days of the season, the Yankees are going with a four-man rotation to begin the year so their starters are not going too long between starts over the first two weeks.
Max Fried will start the opener against the Giants on Wednesday, followed, after a day off, by Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers.
That leaves Gil as the odd man out following a camp in which his stuff was lacking before turning it on Friday night in a throwback performance against the Orioles.
“We’re working through that — do we want him to start a couple [in the minors] and then pop him in the rotation?” Aaron Boone said Sunday after a 4-0 win over the Phillies at Steinbrenner Field. “Is there an avenue to do it a different way? That’s what we’re working through still.”
Gil will stay back in Tampa to throw live batting practice Wednesday to continue his buildup, making it more likely that the Yankees carry an extra reliever on their Opening Day roster.
The arms still vying for spots — with three up for grabs if Gil is optioned, two if he is not — are Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest, lefty Brent Headrick, Jake Bird and Osvaldo Bido.
Headrick and Bird have minor league options while Bido does not and the Yankees must carry Winquest on their roster or offer him back to the Cardinals.
The Yankees could use Gil out of the bullpen in a piggyback role to keep him built up, but they already have length options in Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn.
If Gil throws live batting practice Wednesday, he would likely be unavailable for all of the opening series against the Giants.
Otherwise, they do not need a fifth starter until April 11 and Gil would be eligible to be called up as early as April 9 if he is optioned.
“Obviously, he’d like to be a starter with us, so frustrating [for him],” pitching coach Matt Blake said. “But at the same time, he understands the position we’re in with the way the schedule lines up for the first two weeks in particular. Now it’s just a matter of making sure we do right by him and keep him in rhythm and find the best balance for the bullpen and our starting group.
“It’s not necessarily a specific decision around Luis.”
— Additional reporting by Jon Heyman
