New York Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela underwent a surprise surgery on Friday. After being bothered by his throwing arm during the 2020 season, he was placed on the 10-day injured list with a bone spur in his right elbow. He spent from Sept. 4 to Sept. 15 on the list, missing 11 games.
Urshela was expected to escape surgery following the 2020 season, but after enduring a setback with his elbow, the team and player elected that removing the chipped bone would be more efficient.
Per the New York Yankees:
INF Gio Urshela underwent surgery today to remove a bone chip from his right elbow. The procedure was performed by Yankees Head Team Physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and went as expected. Urshela’s anticipated recovery time from surgery is three months.
Urshela has been a godsend for the Bombers:
After Miguel Andujar tore his labrum at the beginning of the 2019 season, the Yankees immediately turned to Urshela to fill the void. He finished the season with a .314 batting average, 21 homers, and 74 RBIs. Interestingly, he is best known for his defense and not his offense, which he has routinely shown the past two seasons. However, his defense has been stellar, recording a .954 fielding percentage and 13 errors in 978.1 innings.
This past year, Urshela played in 43 of 60 games, hitting .298 with a career-high 10.3% walk rate, six homers, and 30 RBIs. This was the second time in five years he recorded a positive WAR.
With the surgery, the expectation is that Urshela will miss the next three months, meaning he would return toward the end of spring training. He will likely be available for Opening Day but might need a few extra reps before taking his usual spot on the hot corner.