For much of the 2025 season, the New York Yankees were forced to move forward without their breakout ace from last year.

Luis Gil, the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year, had been sidelined since spring training with a high-grade lat strain.

The injury robbed the Yankees of one of their most electric young arms, leaving a major hole in the rotation.

Now, Gil is finally back, and he’s beginning to remind everyone why his return could alter the season’s trajectory.

A reminder of last year’s brilliance

In 2024, Gil was sensational, posting a 3.50 ERA across 151.2 innings while striking out 171 batters in dominant fashion.

He didn’t just pitch well — he became one of the rotation’s anchors, powering the Yankees toward their World Series run.

That success built the foundation of expectations, which made his long absence this year all the more frustrating for New York.

But with each passing start, Gil is shaking off the rust and rediscovering the sharpness that defined his rookie season.

“Still finding it a little bit,” manager Aaron Boone said after Sunday’s defeat. “Kind of a crafty performance where he’s trying to find his delivery, trying to be in the zone more. So he’s adding and subtracting a little bit with the fastball. Made a lot of good pitches, though, and for the most part limited the traffic.

Building momentum after return

Since making his season debut on August 3, Gil has steadily gained confidence, delivering quality innings every time he’s pitched.

Over his last four outings, he’s allowed just five earned runs total, working at least five innings each appearance.

That type of consistency is exactly what the Yankees hoped to see as he rebuilds both stamina and command on the mound.

“I think when you’re trying not to walk hitters, you put some [on] and you subtract some velo,” Gil said through an interpreter. “Overall, that’s been helping me to do what I want to do in the strike zone.”

Against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, he tossed 5.1 innings, surrendering two runs on four hits with strong efficiency.

Slider remains devastating

One of Gil’s calling cards has always been his slider, and it’s already proving lethal again despite the long layoff.

Opposing hitters are batting just .188 against the pitch, struggling to make contact when it dives out of the zone.

It’s the weapon that allows him to pile up strikeouts, keeping hitters guessing even when his fastball isn’t at peak form.

With that slider working, Gil can survive rough patches and still give the Yankees valuable innings against tough lineups.

Fastball velocity still climbing

The one area still lagging behind is his four-seam fastball, which hasn’t fully returned to its 2024 velocity yet.

Last season, the pitch averaged 96.6 mph, but this year it’s down to 95.6, resulting in more hard contact.

Hitters are batting .288 with a .442 slugging percentage against it, numbers Gil will want to drive back down quickly.

If he can regain that extra tick of velocity, the fastball-slider combo becomes nearly unhittable and restores frontline dominance.

A vital piece for the stretch run

Gil doesn’t need to be perfect immediately; he just needs to keep progressing as October looms larger on the calendar.

Every outing gives him more sharpness, and the flashes of brilliance already show he’s on the verge of turning the corner.

For the Yankees, having their Rookie of the Year back in form is like adding a midseason blockbuster acquisition without a trade.

If his velocity returns in full, Gil could be the difference-maker that helps propel New York through the postseason gauntlet.

AFC Notes: J.K. Dobbins, Bo Nix, Broncos, Chargers

Broncos

Bo Nix is entering the second year of his career after his breakout rookie campaign in 2024. Hall of Fame QB Peyton Manning is confident Nix is “made of the right stuff” to continue being a highly successful quarterback.

“Bo is made of the right stuff. He’s a little bit older, carries himself the right way. And all of it should help as he moves forward in his career,” Manning said, via Troy Renck of the Denver Post. “I am just happy that Bo is the established starter. For a number of years, they had quarterback competitions. That’s hard on the receivers, the coaches, the play-caller, and the quarterback. Now, they’ve got their guy.”

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Manning thinks Nix showed talent beyond his years as a rookie.

“I just don’t see that as being a big factor for him. Rookie quarterbacks are supposed to struggle, and then the game slows down. But, it sure looked like it slowed down a lot for him last year,” Manning said. “Like with C.J. Stroud, Bo didn’t play like a rookie. … I believe experience is the best teacher, and he got great experience last year.”

Manning added that playing under Sean Payton for a second season should be beneficial for Nix.

“The continuity, more than anything else. There are times when guys go into their second year, and they are going on their third coordinator,” Manning said. “He has an experienced head coach in Sean, who is his play-caller. Having that same voice and verbiage is so critical. We expect Sean to be here for a long time, so Bo will use that to his advantage.”

Broncos

Broncos RB J.K. Dobbins had a resurgence in his career after missing 2022 with a knee injury and 2023 with a torn Achilles. His surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, said he grew a close relationship with Dobbins and praised him for his perseverance.

“I can’t say enough about him,” ElAttrache said, via Luca Evans of The Denver Post. “I mean, he’s the kind of guy that I would like to have as a friend forever. He’s that kind of person.”

ElAttrache pointed out that damaged ligaments can never return to their previous health, but Dobbins has worked hard on his rehab.

“You never want to expect they’re going to be 22 years old again,” ElAttrache said. “You can’t turn back the clock and go before, when he was that number one (running back) for the Ravens. But, having said that, his performance was still right there.”

Chargers

Chargers DC Jesse Minter still holds on to rejection letters from graduate assistant jobs that he applied to across the country, accumulating 98 in total. Minter said the rejections are a reminder to be grateful for where he is now.

“Because that’s just how I operate,” Minter said, via Daniel Popper of The Athletic. “It’s just that reminder of the joy that it is, the blessing that it is, the opportunity that you have, not to take it for granted and not to ever feel like you’ve arrived.”

Minter said he’s always tried to operate without an ego and build a culture of letting people know their value.

“A lot of coaches have crazy egos, and I think there’s a difference in being confident in yourself and sure of yourself, and then having an ego,” Minter said. “I’ve always tried really, really hard to not have an ego, to really try to build a situation where everybody feels like they have value, where everybody feels like they’re part of the success.”