Yankees Lose Didi To Tommy John Surgery

By Rich Mancuso/ Sports Editor

The hurt of a ALDS series loss to the Red Sox continued on another level for the Yankees Friday afternoon. General Manager Brian Cashman at a season ending briefing with media  at Yankee Stadium revealed that shortstop Didi Gregorius will undergo Tommy John surgery.

The loss of Gregorius will have an impact on Yankees’ off season plans and opens the door to making major offseason moves. Immediate concern is for Gregorius who is not expected to return until June or July of next season   though it could be longer.

The injury to his throwing elbow was aggravated during a game in the division series up at Fenway Park in Boston. Cashman revealed the shortstop had a problem with the elbow before being acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three player deal on December 14, 2015.

This is a major blow for the Yankees and Cashman said the Yankees will look to improve at the position.

With the baseball free agency period set to begin a day after the World Series, the Yankees should be one of many teams seeking to acquire Manny Machado. The highly touted shortstop is currently in a walk-off deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and is considered one of the top players in baseball.

Whether or not that occurs, the Yankees are expected to have an active offseason via trades or free agency. They will be in pursuit of a front line starting pitcher and have numerous decisions to decide regarding the roster.  That includes what to do with outfielder Brett Gardner, who is the Yankee with the longest tenure.

And CC Sabathia, the lefthander, who got the start in the decisive Game 4 loss in the Bronx Tuesday night, expressed an interest to return or seek another team. Sabathia also said he wants to continue his career with or without the Yankees and also had surgery to a bad knee this week which will also play into those decisions.

“We are doing everything in our power to find a way” Cashman said about the Yankees getting to the World Series in 2019. That also includes getting more left handed hitters in the lineup that became an obvious flaw and cut short the Yankees run to the World Series.

But the priority is finding a viable replacement for Gregorius. It could be Machado, if the Yankees want to spend and they always find a way to that without going over their salary threshold. Also, they can move Gleyber Torres to short from second base s a temporary option.

Either way, Cashman said there was disappointment and expressed that to the Yankees fan base. The next few weeks will be evaluating and organizational meetings as they begin the process to build a proper roster that will get the Yankees to play deep into October.

There will be no changes with the manager. Aaron Boone and his coaching staff are expected to return but the news about Gregorius took everyone by surprise.

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