There’s a “real chance” Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius will rejoin the Bombers during their June 7-9 series in Cleveland, manager Aaron Boone said Saturday (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). Gregorius, who has been working back from the Tommy John surgery he underwent on his right elbow last October, began a minor league rehab assignment last weekend.
Surprisingly, despite the absences of Gregorius and a slew of other integral players, the Yankees own the American League’s second-best record at 37-19. Gleyber Torres has stepped up to man shortstop in Gregorius’ place, while free-agent addition DJ LeMahieu has handled second base with aplomb and third bagger Gio Urshela has been one of the game’s unexpected success stories thus far. But the Yankees are understandably excited for the arrival of the 29-year-old Gregorius, who hit .277/.326/.486 (114 wRC+) with 52 home runs and 8.7 fWAR in 1,139 plate appearances from 2017-18.
Like Gregorius, outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have been among prominent wounded Yankees in 2019. They’re seemingly inching closer to comebacks, though, as George A. King III of the New York Post explains. Judge, out since April 21 thanks to a left oblique strain, has begun taking fly balls. And Stanton’s “probably getting close to starting that rehab assignment,” according to Boone. New York sent Stanton to the IL three games into the season with a left biceps strain, but he has since suffered multiple other left side injuries (shoulder, calf) that have halted his progress.
Judge and Stanton accounted for 65 home runs in 250 games a year ago, but their injuries have limited them to five HRs (all from Judge) in 23 contests in 2019. While the hulking sluggers are arguably the Yankees’ top two offensive players, the club has gotten by in the outfield with respectable performances from Brett Gardner, Clint Frazier, Cameron Maybin and Mike Tauchman. And although he hasn’t posted good numbers so far this season, it helps that New York recently got back center fielder Aaron Hicks. The Yankees activated Hicks off the IL on May 13 after he missed the first month and a half of the year because of lower back problems.
Sad to see the very best of the Red Sox 8.5 games back from the Yankees AAA team and one normal night away from being a losing team again.
Yanks are down two or three guys. They’ve played great. Hat’s off to them always.
Seems like the Yankees are there every single year and us Sox fans are always looking up.
But the Red Sox always hang around.. they seem to be there at the end a lot lately.
One thing to keep in mind, it’s not a race to first place on June 1st. There’s so much time left in this season.
But, considering Yankees Championship recent history I understand why there’s gloating now.
And as I said, they’re playing great shorthanded and we’re looking up. Darn Yankees are always good. That’s what I love about baseball. Trying to catch up and beat the Yankees.
Yanks down 2-3 guys ? You clearly having been paying attention to what they’ve endured this year injury wise
I’m never one to use injuries as an excuse for my team so my oversight translated in an attempt to compliment another team.
Yes the Yankees have been hit very hard let’s say ten guys down. 10 key players 10 starters.
But at the end of the year or five years from now nobody’s going to say look how great the Yankees did with 10 guys down. In fact so and so MVP top five guy didn’t even play but half a season. Wow.
But the bottom line is the Sox lost again tonight.. oh well there’s always tomorrow !
Let’s see…
3 All-stars haven’t played a game for us (Severino, Betances, and Didi)
1 MVP played 3 games (Stanton)
1 All-star played about 20 games (Judge)
1 ROY runner-up played 5 games (Andujar)
1 4+ WAR player missed almost two months (Hicks)
This isn’t even mentioning short stints on the injured list from players like Sanchez, Sabathia, Paxton, and Frazier. What the Yankees have done this year is amazing.
THANK YOU
Sounds like to me —- those all star dollar players need to stay on the Injured List so the Yankee replacement players can keep playing Championship Baseball. Trading deadline could be very interesting!!
Down 2-3 guys? Come on, lol. For a bit they were down Bird, Gregorious, Andujar, Stanton, Hicks, Judge, Frazier in the lineup. Haven’t had Betances or Severino all year, and have had injuries to Sabathia and Paxton that put them on the IL.
Get out of here with 2-3 guys. The outfield ALONE was more than that lmao
You lose all credibility by including Bird in any argument.
No mention of Jacoby Ellsbury and Troy Tulowitzki.
This is an odd flex
This guy
That “Yankees AAA team” has played 12 games against the worst MLB team already, no other teams are close to having played that many games against one opponent yet. The rest of the East will beat the Orioles up in the 2nd half too, gotta wait for that first.
Maybe you should be called strike 5. Yankees have beaten the Twins, Seattle (before they collapsed), Tampa Bay twice, Boston 3 times so far, and the Padres, all with winning records at the time (although Boston is pushing it).
They are beating the teams in front of them and are a tough out whoever they face…
How did they do against the Astros?
Should have won 2 of 3, but remember when everyone made fun the Yankees bullpen.
It was when they struggled and pitched against the always bad umps in that series.
Wow. Three whole games. Solid basis for an argument.
Win the games you’re supposed to.
Funny… I guess the Red Sox’ rampage through the AL last year were filled with the wreckages of all the winning teams they beat. Might want to just stop qualifying record with level of competition. The difference in how many games the Red Sox won against sub-500 teams vs the Yankees wins against sub-500 teams was the amount of games the Yankees finished behind in the AL East in 2018. No major league team should apologize for beating up weaker teams. And not all games against weak teams are guaranteed wins. Yankees fans can tell you all about it.
Yankees are 12-7 against teams currently over 500
The Astros are 13-11 against teams currently over .500.
The Twins are 8-7.
The Rays are 10-9..
Seems like the Yankees have done the BEST against teams currently over .500, right?
Astros are 3-0 against the yankees
The Red Sox won last year because they “beat up” all the sub .500 teams they were supposed to beat and used that as momentum to play successful baseball against the better teams….the Yankees don’t make up the schedule and also con’t make personal decisions on sub .500 teams so it is all about beating the teams you can and should beat the the rest will take care of itself.!
This is ridiculous! They need to stop lifting weights. They’re too tight!
“They need to stop lifting weights” This is a ridiculous post!!
No doubt in my mind that many of the injuries in MLB these days are the result of too much weightlifting.
Even a lot of pitchers look like they’re training for the Mr. Universe competition. Ease off the lifting regimens and focus more on flexibility.
I will assume that Didi will be the primary DH.
Why would Didi be a DH?
Your assumption is wrong Garry
Did Garry think Didi was a two way player?