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<\/p>\nST. PETERSBURG, Fla. \u2014 After becoming the New York Yankees\u2019 first Rule 5 draft pick in 14 years, Cade Winquest must continue waiting for his MLB debut. And it now likely won\u2019t come with the Yankees.<\/p>\n
The Yankees designated Winquest for assignment on Thursday, a team source confirmed, to make room on the 26-man roster for Luis Gil,\u00a0who will make his season debut Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays after beginning the season in the minor leagues.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s possible Winquest remains with the Yankees organization, but it\u2019s unlikely. He would have to clear waivers, and the St. Louis Cardinals, Winquest\u2019s former team, would have to decline to pay the Yankees $50,000 to bring him back. Only then could the Yankees retain Winquest\u2019s full rights and the ability to option him to the minor leagues.<\/p>\n
For Winquest, it likely marks the end of a bizarre situation.<\/p>\n
The Yankees initially optioned Gil to the minors because they did not need a fifth starter for the first two weeks of the season. That move allowed them to carry an extra reliever without losing Winquest to the waiver wire, because he needed to remain on their 26-man roster all season. But after 12 games, Yankees manager Aaron Boone never used Winquest, and the team effectively played one man short.<\/p>\n
It was clear that Boone and his staff did not trust Winquest, whose highest level in professional baseball before this season was Double A. In fact, Boone suggested earlier this season in Seattle that when the Yankees led the Mariners by five runs, they would have needed a six-run lead for Winquest to pitch.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the most part, these games have been low-scoring, so it hasn\u2019t lined up yet,\u201d Boone said on April 1, the day after a 5-0 Yankees win. \u201cIf we scored another run there in the ninth, I was probably going to bring him in there. Hopefully, that opportunity presents itself at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, that opportunity will probably come elsewhere, as the Yankees move to a traditional five-man rotation after starting the season with Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers as their top four starters. The pressure will be on Gil to perform, or his spot in the rotation could be at jeopardy once Carlos Rod\u00f3n returns from rehabbing his left elbow after offseason surgery. Rod\u00f3n threw 40 pitches earlier this week. Boone has not said what the veteran\u2019s next step will be.<\/p>\n
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\n Luis Gil will make his season debut against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. (Mark Taylor \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Gil last pitched for Triple-A Scranton\/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, and the results were mixed. He finished with 4 2\/3 innings pitched, allowing four hits, three walks and three runs, while striking out six. His fastball topped out at 96 mph, 3 mph slower than his hardest pitch in spring training. The weather in Gil\u2019s start for Scranton was bitterly cold and could have been a factor during his outing.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, Gil\u2019s most-used pitch in that start was his sinker, an offering he debuted during his final outing in spring training. Gil has been a three-pitch starter for his entire big-league career, and it\u2019s become increasingly difficult for him to have success in the big leagues because his four-seamer has been less effective.\u00a0But the Yankees believe Gil\u2019s sinker could become a difference-maker for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe threw some really good sinkers,\u201d Boone said of Gil on March 20. \u201cIf the sinker could come into play in some way, shape, or form, great.\u201d<\/p>\n
In that first start with his new sinker, Gil struck out seven and limited the Baltimore Orioles to one hit across five scoreless innings. What also helped Gil\u2019s effectiveness that night was having a higher release point, something the Yankees worked on with him all spring. They believe that when Gil has a higher release point, it helps his fastball, in particular, have more deception.<\/p>\n