Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Gil’s recovery from a high-grade lat strain is progressing as expected, but he won’t be medically cleared until later next week. It’s not a significant delay as Gil won’t be back until late May or early June, even in a best-case scenario. It’s looking more like some point in June following this latest update.

Gil will begin playing catch either Wednesday or Thursday and is still a couple weeks away from progressing to bullpen sessions. The 26-year-old righty is expected to be ready to return from a high-grade lat strain that he suffered back in late February at some point in late May or early June, barring any setbacks.

That according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone. The right-hander is on the 60-day injured list, and won’t be eligible to come off that list until the end of May. It remains to be seen if he’ll be ready to rejoin the rotation at that time, and a return in the middle of the summer seems like a more realistic timeline.

Gil has a lat strain that is going to keep him out for at least the first few months of the season, with the hope being the defending Rookie of the Year pitches in the summer. The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster, and the Yankees used that space to sign Ryan Yarbrough.