Didi Gregorius to Start Official Rehab Assignment This Weekend
By Parker White
New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius is coming back from Tommy John surgery he had in October. It's been a slow but steady climb back to the big leagues for Gregorius, and he'll be taking another big step forward starting this weekend, as he'll begin his official rehab assignment for Class-A Tampa.
Didi Gregorius to start official rehab assignment at Class A Tampa this weekend, Paxton threw 4 innings in an extended spring game, Tulo working at 2nd base, 3rd base & SS today per AP in Tampa.
— Pete Caldera (@pcaldera) May 24, 2019
Position players can spend up to 20 days on their rehab assignment, and if he stays down in the minors for that long, he won't return to the Bronx until the second week of June. Either way, that's certainly about a month or two ahead of more conservative schedules.
And for Yankee fans, who are quite used to setbacks at this point, this is a rare beacon of good news.
Per the AP, Didi Gregorius is slated to start his rehab assignment on Saturday with Class A Tampa. Position players can spent up to 20 days on a rehab assignment. Twenty days from Saturday is the second week of June. https://t.co/vDdOHWpaPx
— James Wagner (@ByJamesWagner) May 24, 2019
“My timing is not there yet,” Gregorius said of his hitting. “But defensively I’m good. Arm and everything feels good.”
You can imagine it'll take Didi some time to get his timing down at the dish, as he hasn't swung the bat in a live game in forever. But it's great to hear him say that his arm feels good and that he's ready to go on the defensive end. That comfort is likely what matters most.