Gregorius will start 2019 on DL
Dutch-born Didi Gregorius will be out until next summer due to an elbow injury. The elbow injury is this serious, Didi will need Tommy John surgery. According to Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone, Gregorius injured his elbow in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Red Sox.
Didi is coming off a season that wasn’t as good as his previous two, batting-wise.
In 2018 he hit .268 with 27 home runs, more than his previous two seasons.
During the 2018 postseason, he wasn’t really impressive as he collected only three hits in fourteen at-bats. Defensive-wise, he has improved again since his first season in New York. In 2015 he started with a .979 fielding percentage which dropped a tad to .974 in the next season. In 2017 his fielding percentage jumped to .982 and this season it moved up to .987.
Yankees’ General Manager Brian Cashman declined to give a timeframe for Gregorius’ return, saying “best to stay general.”
Aaron Boone said he thinks Gregorius hurt his right elbow early in an American League Division Series game at Fenway Park when he retrieved a ball off the wall in left field and threw it in. He said Gregorius felt something then but played through the final games of the series, which the Boston Red Sox won 3-1. Boone said Gleyber Torres could be the Yankees’ shortstop to begin the upcoming season but there is a real chance he plays the bulk of the 2019 season with the Yankees.
2019 will be the final year on Gregorius’ contract.