Luis Gil's updated injury timeline will further test Yankees' patience

It's becoming clearer by the day that New York Yankees fans should be slightly more appreciative of all the Luis Gil they received last season. The electric (and occasionally) right-hander missed some time during the summer, and wasn't his full self in October, but still. At the end of the day, he delivered 151 2/3 largely special regular-season frames, earning Rookie of the Year honors and a long-term look firmly in the middle of the Yankees' rotation.

Hopefully, that ends up becoming Gil's norm. For now, we're all stuck waiting for the encore, as the righty's career threatens to be marked by hardship rather than accomplishment.

Before he could enter a spring training contest this February (and after he exhaled after the Yankees came up short in a Kyle Tucker trade), Gil was diagnosed with a high-grade lat strain. When it was first revealed that Gil felt "shoulder discomfort" during a bullpen session, a lat issue seemed like a best-case scenario. Regardless, he was in for at least a six-week no-throw. Realistic Yankee fans knew it could linger longer, and any Gil return before midsummer would be a bit of a blessing.

The right-hander was reportedly lined up to start his throwing progression this week, but after a re-examination of his shoulder, the Yankees have decided to push things back another 10 days, per Aaron Boone. Whenever Gil's throwing program ends, he'll need what amounts to a full spring training to build his arm up to an agreed-upon standard.

Luis Gil's injury return timeline delayed: When will he return to New York Yankees rotation?

The Yankees, in order to reach their post-Gerrit Cole ceiling, will likely need to eventually get to a place where they can send out a five-man unit of Max Fried/Carlos Rodón/Clarke Schmidt/Luis Gil/Trade Deadline Addition. Until we can see that, there's very little we can do to accurately judge the Yankees' contention potential.

While Gil could technically be back in early June, the All-Star Break has always felt like a more likely line of demarcation. Wednesday's news doesn't change that much, but it does prove the Yankees aren't confident enough yet to throw caution to the wind.