Yankees pitcher Gil struggles in spring training, still searching for the "extraordinary firepower" of his fastball.

The 12th pitch thrown by Luis Gil, the Yankees' 2024 AL Rookie of the Year, sailed over the left-center field wall, crushed by Spencer Torkelson for a three-run homer. The remainder of his spring training debut against the Detroit Tigers, both in terms of results and process, was far from impressive.

In a Grapefruit League game where the Yankees suffered a 12-1 defeat to the Tigers, Gil was battered, surrendering seven runs. This spring, he has presented the Yankees with mixed results for evaluation. Although manager Aaron Boone stated today that he still considers Gil as "one of the five" in the Opening Day rotation, Boone also acknowledged needing to see more.

"I've seen a lot of good things from Luis," Boone said. "I want him to regain the form he had in the first half of 2024, giving his fastball that extraordinary firepower. He's currently struggling to get swings and misses with the fastball, but it requires the full arsenal to work together."

Javier Báez capped off a four-run inning with an RBI double that landed in the left-field corner. Matt Vierling and Riley Greene later added home runs off Gil, who allowed nine hits over three innings.

Gil issued one walk and recorded two strikeouts. Although his fastball averaged 95.8 mph, it generated only two swings and misses out of 19 swings. His slider, however, produced six swings and misses.

"As a starting pitcher, you always have games like this," Gil said via translator. "There are good days and bad days. You have to find the positives. For the bad aspects, learn from them. Move on quickly; the important thing is not to forget what matters—being prepared and competing fully no matter what. Then start preparing for the next one."

Boone noted that he is gradually seeing Gil's velocity return this spring, but he has encountered issues with command on his fastball, slider, and changeup.

"We need his full arsenal to be effective," Boone said.

Gil was the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year, posting a 15-7 record with a 3.50 ERA over 29 starts that season. However, last spring he suffered a high-grade right lat strain, delaying his season debut until August and limiting him to just 11 starts for the entire year.

Although Gil expressed hopes of replicating or surpassing his 2024 numbers, Sunday's game indicated there are many areas he still needs to improve.

"One point I can highlight is that our velocity has been on a good track," Gil said. "The shape of the fastball is getting closer to what it used to be for me. Of course, the changeup still needs work. Today the changeup wasn't good. That's a direction we must focus on, needing to get back on track."

The Yankees have four off-days in the first 13 days of the regular season, meaning they might not need a fifth starter early on.

Max Fried has been confirmed to start the Opening Day game on March 25 against the Giants away. Cam Schlittler is expected to start the second game on March 27, though he is likely limited to around 70 pitches, and it hasn't been officially announced yet.

Based on recent Grapefruit League rotation order, Will Warren might start the third game against the Giants on March 29 before an off-day. Following this arrangement, Fried, Schlittler, and Ryan Weathers would handle the series against the Mariners starting March 30 away.

Warren is expected to start the home opener on April 3. Notably, Weathers has struggled in his last two starts, but he generated more swings and misses.