The New York Yankees didn’t just lose their American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox. They also lost one of their most productive players for at least part of next season.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed Friday that shortstop Didi Gregorius will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair damage to his right elbow. It’s unclear how long the procedure will sideline Gregorius, who turns 29 in February, but Boone expressed optimism that he’ll be back at some point in 2019 and perhaps even play a bulk of the season.
Boone believes Gregorius suffered the injury while playing the field during Game 1 or 2 of the ALDS at Fenway Park. Gregorius still started both Games 3 and 4 at Yankee Stadium.
Gregorius, who also tore cartilage in his right wrist ahead of the Major League Baseball postseason, had a partial elbow tear that was “asymptomatic” when he was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in December 2014, according to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. According to ESPN, Cashman described the current tear as “the finishing part of something that was a sleeping giant, I guess.”
Gregorius hit .268 with 27 home runs, 86 RBIs and an .829 OPS in 134 regular-season games this season. He went 3-for-14 with two RBIs in the ALDS.
