The moment New York Yankees‘ Didi Gregorius suffered the injury that ultimately sent him into the surgical room, he knew one thing and one thing only – he wasn’t coming out of a playoff game.
The Yankees still needed three outs in the inning in the first-game of the ALDS against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway. Gregorius knew that his season was over the second he lost all feeling in his arm. As the numbness faded and feeling began to rush ever-so quickly back into his arm, he made a choice.
Didi told the training staff what he was feeling, and they addressed it with treatment, just to send him right back out onto the field. But, at the end of the day, it was the short-stop’s decision.
The moment New York Yankees’ Didi Gregorius knew he was hurt:
“I came back to the infield, I was telling the guys, my elbow… I think I tore everything,” Gregorius stated. “I can’t throw, I can’t feel my arm.”
"I did the best I could with one arm."
Didi Gregorius tells @JackCurryYES about the moment he realized he tore
his UCL… and still finished the game. pic.twitter.com/rNhXhEBUde— YES Network (@YESNetwork) December 18, 2018
“I did the best I could with one arm,” he said. His throwing arm was torn to pieces, which attests to the Tommy John surgery he endured and is now rehabbing.
The Yankees will begin the 2019 season without their best infielder, which makes the likes of free agent mega-star Manny Machado that much more enticing.
How did Gregorius perform last season?
Gregorius finished 2018 with a .268 ERA with 86 RBIs and 27 home runs. Didi broke the record for the most home runs by any Yankees shortstop in history.
The Yankees will ultimately need to find a replacement for their most efficient defender, and if Machado doesn’t make his way to New York, they could look toward Freddie Galvis to fill the hole. Galvis has playing experience with the Phillies and Padres, with an average BA of .246 over a seven-year span. He would ultimately act as a stop-gap for Gregorius as he heals from the injury.
‘Moving forward, we can only hope his rehabilitation is smooth and steady, but any complications could mean the Yankees playing without their starting shortstop for a nice chunk of the 2019 regular season.