The New York Yankees will be forced to play a big part of 2019 season without their starting shortstop Didi Gregorius. The team announced on Wednesday that the 28-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery and that he will be back “sometime next summer.”
The thing that goes in Gregorius’ favor is that the recovery period after a Tommy John surgery is a lot shorter for a position player than a pitcher. Position players recover in eight to 10 months while pitchers spend 18 to 24 months recovering after this procedure.
Still, the Yankees’ are not putting a timeline on Didi Gregorius’ return. “Is it June, July, August? I’d rather not put a time frame on it,” – Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman told reporters. “We do expect to get him back [during the 2019 season].“
Gregorius was great for New York Yankees this season, hitting 27 home runs in 2018 and breaking the team’s record for most homers by a shortstop in a single season. He also had a batting average of .268 with 86 RBIs.
With Didi Gregorius out for the start of 2018, Yankees will most likely search for his replacement in-house, with second baseman Gleyber Torres being the favorite to take over the position. However, Yanks could get a better upgrade in case that they opt to pursue four-time All-Star third baseman Manny Machado in the free agency. Machado is reportedly interested in coming to New York and has stated earlier that he would like to play shortstop.
