DIDI’S SHOULDER WORRIES YANKS:
Shoulder pain KOs Didi from WBC, leaves SS hole
TAMPA — Didi Gregorius has been gone from the Yankees for the last three weeks due to the World Baseball Classic.
He’s returning to the team with an injury, and his status going forward is unknown.
Gregorius, who was playing for the Netherlands, injured his right shoulder, and flew back to Tampa for additional testing — including another MRI — today. The 27-year-old shortstop underwent a precautionary MRI on Sunday.
Joe Girardi told reporters on Monday that Gregorius has been diagnosed with hematoma of the subscapularis muscle. “It’s obviously not what you want to hear. Hopefully it’s something short,” Girardi said. “The evaluation from the doctor was his strength was really good, but we’ve got to see him.”
“Hematoma can be something that is represented by a spectrum of different injuries. So hematoma could be caused by tendinitis, it could be caused by bursitis, or it could be caused by an underlying rotator cuff tear,” said Paul Cagle, a shoulder surgeon from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai West.
“From his initial examination which was done after the injury, they mentioned that he had ‘good strength.’ Good strength is a good prognostic factor for not having a significant underlying injury. But the best way to understand the extent of injury or the reason for the hematoma forming is to get an MRI.
“With Opening Day right around the corner, I think if it’s an injury such as bursitis or tendinitis, there’s a good chance that he’ll be able to rehabilitate himself and hopefully get back for Opening Day or later in the first few weeks of the season. If it is something more significant such as a rotator cuff tear, it depends on how much of the tendon is torn. And ultimately depending on whether it’s a partial tear or a full tear, the rehabilitation then could take weeks to months.”
Brian Cashman wouldn’t speculate on how much time Gregorius might miss, but if he is out for an extended period, top prospect Gleyber Torres will not be a candidate to replace him, the GM said. Torres has hit .464 during the spring, but as Cashman reiterated, he hasn’t played above A-ball yet. Neither has Jorge Mateo. Torres is expected to open the 2017 campaign at DoubleA Trenton, and is ahead of Mateo within the organization.
That means the realistic internal candidates are utility man Ronald Torreyes, who posted a .680 OPS in 72 games for the Yankees last season; Ruben Tejada, the former Met who is in camp on a minor-league deal; and Tyler Wade, a utility prospect whom the Yankees are grooming to be similar to Ben Zobrist and Brock Holt.
“They called me in August (about a utility role),” Wade said. “It wasn’t even pushed on me. They asked me and I was like, ‘Absolutely.’ I want to be in the big leagues. I don’t want to sit in Triple-A. I don’t want to be this ‘prospect.’ I want to be in the big leagues. So I was all for it.”
Starlin Castro told reporters at the team’s minor-league complex that he’d be open to moving from second to short if asked. “I can do that for sure. That’s my natural position,” he said. In six years at short with the Cubs, Castro averaged 23 errors per season. The Yankees moved him to second in 2016, though he did play three games at short.
Gregorius hit a career-high 20 homers for the Yankees last season and posted a .751 OPS. During the WBC, he hit .348 with four doubles, a homer and eight RBI in six games, as the Dutch advanced to the semifinals.
He reportedly felt pain in his shoulder on Saturday during a WBC exhibition.
The WBC has not been kind to the Yankees. In 2013, Mark Teixera hurt his right wrist in batting practice and was limited to just 15 games that season as a result.