The Yankees will be without Didi Gregorius to begin the 2019 season and according to Brian Cashman, the timetable for return could be longer than we think.
Back in October, Yankees star shortstop Didi Gregorius underwent Tommy John surgery following the ALDS and put a sour taste in the mouth of many Yankees fans heading into the 2019 season. Originally, there was hope that he would return as soon as mid-June, but according to GM Brian Cashman, this does not seem too likely.
Early Wednesday, Cashman told SiriusXM Wednesday that a June return for Gregorius would be “optimistic” and that it was more likely for him to return to the Bronx in late-July or August. This is certainly not great news for fans who were hoping to see Sir Didi himself before the All-Star break.
Filling Gregorius’ hole in the lineup will be recently signed veteran Troy Tulowitzki, considering he stays healthy enough to remain on the field. However, he will certainly have quite the shoes to fill. Since taking over for Derek Jeter to begin the 2015 season, Didi has solidified himself as a star in the Bronx both defensively and offensively. In 2017, Gregorius hit 25 home runs in 570 plate appearances, which broke Derek Jeter’s Yankee record for home runs in a season by a shortstop. In 2018, Didi had broken his own record in just 540 PA, with about two weeks left to the season.
For the sake of the Yankees and their lack of left-handed pop, let’s hope Didi Gregorius a fast and successful recovery.