MEXICO CITY -- Luis Gil¡¯s dominant spring has secured a place for the right-hander as the Yankees¡¯ No. 5 starter, manager Aaron Boone confirmed on Sunday.

Gil earned a spot after ace Gerrit Cole¡¯s right elbow injury pushed the club¡¯s other four starters up in the pecking order, with Nestor Cortes set to start the season opener on Thursday against the Astros in Houston. He¡¯ll be followed by Carlos Rod¨®n, Marcus Stroman and Clarke Schmidt.

¡°I¡¯m excited about the options that we have,¡± Boone said. ¡°Obviously you never want to see Gerrit go down, but I¡¯m excited about the people that emerged and legitimately put their name in that conversation up until late. I feel like the way Luis is throwing the ball, really from the jump, he¡¯s certainly earned that with how he¡¯s performed. We continue to be really excited about what he can be as a starting pitcher.¡±

Boone said that Gil was informed of the decision on Friday in Tampa, Fla., by general manager Brian Cashman and pitching coach Matt Blake.

The 25-year-old Gil wrapped his spring Friday with four innings of two-run, two-hit ball against the Mets. In 15 2/3 Grapefruit League innings across five games (three starts), Gil permitted five runs (2.87 ERA) and seven hits, walking six and striking out a team-leading 23.

Gil edged a group of candidates that included right-hander Will Warren, the club¡¯s No. 8 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Others in competition included Clayton Beeter, Cody Poteet and Luke Weaver.

The Yankees optioned Poteet, Ron Marinaccio and Nick Ramirez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday and reassigned Warren to Minor League camp. Warren is likely to begin the season at Triple-A.

¡°I think Will¡¯s got a bright future as a starting pitcher in this league,¡± Boone said. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a great chance you¡¯ll see him sooner rather than later, too.¡±

Boone said that Gil proved to be further along than anticipated from the Tommy John surgery that cost him most of the 2022 and ¡¯23 seasons, noting that Gil¡¯s developing changeup has complemented his electric fastball and slider combination.

¡°I¡¯m excited about where he was health-wise, but I didn¡¯t necessarily expect him to be that far along from a polish standpoint,¡± Boone said. ¡°He¡¯s done a great job.¡±

It remains to be seen how many starts Gil will make, but for the moment, there will be no redux of the ¡°Joba Rules¡± -- the Yankees' attempt to preserve the arm of prized youngster Joba Chamberlain. Boone said that Gil will not be placed on an innings limit.

¡°The way we¡¯re able to monitor and measure guys¡¯ output, what they¡¯re able to do not only on the mound but between starts, it gives us a more clear idea than in the past,¡± Boone said. ¡°We¡¯re in a better position to make better calls on that.¡±