Since the Yankees broke camp from Tampa, they have kept a hidden gem in their bullpen. Or so they thought. Before the season began, the Yankees decided to option RHP Luis Gil to Scranton. They subsequently selected Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest on the roster. Ahead of Gil’s return to the rotation Friday in Tampa against the Rays, Winquest is being designated for assignment. Jon Heyman of the New York Post was the first to report.
Cade Winquest DFA’ed by Yankees. Made the team out of spring but never debuted.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 10, 2026
Why not Winquest?
The Yankees selected Winquest in December from the St. Louis Cardinals in the Rule 5 draft. He was the first selection the Yankees have made in the draft since 2011. Winquest did not appear in a game. The Yankees were looking for a soft landing for Winquest to make his MLB debut, but no such situation ever arose.
The Yankees were hoping in spring training they would find gold in the Rule 5 mine, but they had no such luck. Though spring training stats typically don’t matter, for players trying to make the jump from AA to the majors, it has an impact. Winquest posted a 7.20 ERA in 10 Grapefruit League innings, with three home runs surrendered.
It seemed that the Yankees were not going to allow Winquest to make a debut in a game that was close, and such a situation never came. The Bombers carried an extra player on their roster for 12 games, a spot that could have been better utilized.
Gil’s Return
Gil struggled in spring training, with his velocity down. However, he found his rhythm in his final spring outing. On March 20, he tossed five scoreless innings against the Orioles while striking out seven. Most importantly, his velocity finally ticked back up, with his fastball averaging 96.8 mph and topping out at nearly 99 mph—a significant jump from his earlier Grapefruit League appearances.
Carrying that momentum into his Triple-A season debut with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last Sunday, Gil remained sharp despite a few high-leverage battles. He tossed 4.2 innings, allowing three runs while striking out six and throwing 90 pitches.
Luis Gil showed off the new sinker he was talking about in the spring during his Triple-A rehab start this weekend. Noticeably different than his 4-sm, so that’s something.https://t.co/2JkUhwirDh pic.twitter.com/tHHaPy47fU
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) April 6, 2026
While the 5.79 ERA from the single outing doesn’t jump off the page, his ability to maintain his mid-90s velocity deep into the start was encouraging. With the Yankees shifting back to a five-man rotation, his performance was enough to earn him a call-up, and he is now lined up to make his first big-league start of the season this Friday against the Rays.
(Top Image Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images)
