The Yankees declined to sacrifice top prospects to deal for a frontline starting pitcher ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, so their primary rotation addition turned out to be the awaited return of the reigning AL Rookie of the Year.

Don’t miss Greg Joyce’s text messages from The Bronx and beyond — he’s giving Sports+ subscribers the inside buzz on the Yankees.

Luis Gil will make his third start Friday night in St. Louis since returning earlier this month from a right lat injury that sidelined him since spring training.

His second outing Saturday against the Astros — two earned runs with one walk and seven strikeouts over 5 ⅓ innings in a 5-4 home victory — encouragingly represented a marked improvement from a rocky showing on Aug. 3 against the Marlins in his 2025 debut. Gil walked four and was tagged for five earned runs in 3 ⅓ innings in a 7-4 Yankees loss in Miami.

“Night and day difference,” Yanks manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday at the Stadium. “Miami was a struggle, he just never really got settled. Strike-throwing wasn’t there, and that just improved a lot. His stuff’s been good, even Miami was good. And I thought, again, his stuff was good against Houston.