Yankees’ Luis Gil strikes out six in rehab start with Double-A Somerset

Luis Gil took one step closer to being back in the Yankees rotation.

The 26-year-old right-hander pitched for Double-A Somerset in a rehab outing on Sunday, tossing 80 pitches over 3.2 innings, allowing four hits, three earned runs, two walks and struck out six batters.

It’s possible it is the only rehab start Gil needs after going on the injured list with lower back strain following a start on Aug. 20.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said “there’s a very good chance” both Gil and Clarke Schmidt (who will make a rehab start on Monday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) could return to the team on the upcoming road trip.

Boone was asked about Gil’s outing after Sunday’s 14-7 loss to the Cardinals, but the Yankees manager said he had not heard anything other than he threw a lot of pitches in the first inning.

Gil’s first inning was a mixed bag, striking out the first two hitters he faced, before allowing a double, walk, single and triple. He finally finished the inning with another strikeout but not after throwing 37 pitches.

Gil has been a pleasant surprise for the Yankees this season, pitching in his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022. He is 12-6 with a 3.39 ERA and 144 strikeouts over 124.2 innings pitched.