Yanks’ Gregorius hopes to make return this week
New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius hopes to return from a wrist injury this week and start in the AL wild-card game on Oct. 3.
Gregorius hurt his right wrist Saturday when he slid headfirst on Aaron Hicks’ 11th-inning double to score the run that clinched a postseason berth. An MRI on Sunday revealed a small tear.
“It feels way better,” Gregorius said before Monday night’s game at Tampa Bay. “Feeling stronger. More movement. It’s a big step to go forward.”
He is hitting .268 with a career-high 27 homers and 86 RBIs. The 28-year-old had a cortisone shot and will be examined by team doctors Wednesday.
“He felt significantly better with some of the range of motion things he’s able to do,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I would also temper it. The true indicator will come Wednesday when he’s re-evaluated and we see how he does.”
Also, Boone said he is not close to deciding on his started for the wild-card game from among J.A Happ, Masahiro Tanaka and Luis Severino.
Severino starts today followed by Tanaka and CC Sabathia. Happ started on Sunday. ANGELS’ SCIOSCIA SAYS HE WANTS TO KEEP MANAGING >> Mike Scioscia says he would like to keep managing next year.
The longtime skipper of the Los Angeles Angels has been widely expected to step down after the regular season concludes this week. His comments to KLAA-AM radio Monday night suggested he is open to returning for a 20th season in the Angels’ dugout, or perhaps a managing job elsewhere in baseball.
When asked directly if he wanted to keep managing, Scioscia said: “I’d like to.”
“We’ll continue to evaluate things this week,” Scioscia added. “I’ll speak with (Angels owner) Arte (Moreno) and speak with (general manager) Billy (Eppler), and kind of come to a decision. But I think that if you love something, you want to continue to keep doing it. If you can, great. And if it doesn’t happen, so be it. But I love the dugout.”
Scioscia, who will turn 60 in November, is the longest-tenured manager in the majors by seven seasons, and he earned his 1,600th career victory earlier this year. Since taking over the team for the 2000 season, he has led the Angels to six AL West titles and their only World Series championship back in 2002.
“I love managing,” Scioscia said. “I love the dugout. I love the challenge of getting the team and getting them going in the right direction. That’s something I thoroughly enjoy.”