Yankees bullpen competition about to heat up with Luis Gil return as Clarke Schmidt looms

The Yankees’ bullpen competition got a bit more real Sunday morning, when two competitors were in the clubhouse (albeit only one because he was activated).Luis Gil was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as a reliever capable of some length while Clarke Schmidt was around the club and feeling strong following his first game of a rehab assignment.Both are possibilities for an October bullpen whose spots are fairly wide open.David Bednar, Paul Blackburn, Brent Headrick and Tim Hill will be on the playoff roster, presuming health.

Otherwise, the Yankees have a sea of pitchers on the 40-man roster with at least the ability to pitch their way into relevance, a group that includes Gil, Schmidt, current bullpen members Michael Fulmer and Ryan Yarbrough, potential conversion candidates Elmer Rodríguez and Will Warren, the just-optioned Yerry De los Santos and the sidelined Angel Chivilli and Ryan Weathers.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.

Gil will get a chance to show that he belongs both on the roster and in important innings in his first look at the major league level since April.The 2024 AL Rookie of the Year has dealt with several injuries since he was a surprise top-line starter, the most recent right shoulder inflammation that cost him about three months.He began a rehab assignment on Aug.

11 and made his way to SWB, with whom he pitched three times, went as long as two innings and in total threw 4 ⅓ scoreless innings in which he allowed three hits and three walks while striking out six.The walks have always been an issue for Gil, but the bigger issue as his effectiveness sunk was reduced velocity.His fastball routinely lived in the upper-90s in 2024, when his four-seamer averaged 96.6 mph.

In his four April starts this year in which he posted a 6.05 ERA, that pitch averaged 95 mph.During his SWB stint as a reliever, Gil’s fastball averaged ...