Yankees manager Joe Girardi announced on Thursday that shortstop Didi Gregorius will make his season debut Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium, according to multiple reports.
Gregorius has missed 19 games this April, due to a strained right shoulder he suffered during the World Baseball Classic as a player on Team Netherlands back in March.
The 27-year-old appeared in five rehab games with High-A Tampa this week, hitting 8-for-18 with a home run.
“It’s great to get Didi back,” Girardi told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. “Obviously he played extremely well last year for us. We’ve been kind of fortunate because [Ronald] Torreyes has played so well. It’s good to have him back.”
In 2015, Gregorius hit a career-high 20 home runs with 70 RBI, while also slashing .276/.304/.447 in 153 games.
“I’m going to have to make some adjustments now that Didi is coming back,” Girardi said. “He’s going to hit, you would think, somewhere in the middle area [of the order]. I’m going to have to figure how to separate the lefties.”
With Gregorius’s return, backup infielder Ronald Torreyes will return to his former role as a platoon man. But the 24-year-old made the most of his time in the starting lineup, hitting .290 with 13 RBI in 18 games.
“[Austin] Romine and Torreyes, they have done everything and then some that you could have hoped any reserve would provide,” general manager Brian Cashman told Hoch. “They’ve got great relationships with their teammates, and they’re performing well. It just creates a great environment for our clubhouse.”
The Yankees also received more good news on the status of catcher Gary Sanchez, who is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, according to Hoch. The 24-year-old has been on the disabled list since April 10 with a strain in his right biceps. On Wednesday, Sanchez took batting practice in the cages, and was seen throwing from 120 feet at Fenway Park in Boston.
“I wouldn’t think [the rehab assignment] would be too many days,” Girardi said of Sanchez, who is expected to work behind the dish and as a designated hitter. “He has been out 3 1/2 weeks by the time he goes on rehab. You’re going to want to get him some at-bats, but it shouldn’t be too long.”
In just five games this year, Sanchez is 3-for-20 with a home run and four strikeouts. In his place, backup catcher Austin Romine has hit .293 with five RBI in 41 at-bats.
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