Yankees' Didi Gregorius to Undergo Tommy John Surgery, Miss Start of 2019 Season

New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius will undergo Tommy John surgery this offseason after having an MRI on his right elbow Thursday.

The Yankees announced the news Friday, and manager Aaron Boone commented on the situation, as seen in the following video courtesy of YES Network:

Boone said he's optimistic that Gregorius will be back at "some point" during the 2019 season and added that there's a "realistic chance he plays the bulk of the season."

He also said the team believes Gregorius suffered the injury during one of their ALDS playoff games against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Gregorius enjoyed a career year in 2018. He hit .268 while posting 27 home runs, 86 RBI and a .494 slugging percentage despite missing 28 games due to injury. His 4.6 WAR ranked eighth among qualified shortstops, per FanGraphs.

Gregorius tore cartilage in his wrist while sliding into home for the winning run in a 3-2 11-inning win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 22, but he still managed to return in time for the playoffs.

While New York beat the Oakland Athletics in the American League Wild Card Game, it fell to the Red Sox in four games in the ALDS.

With Gregorius set to miss the start of the 2019 season, the Yankees will be without a left-handed power bat and their most reliable infield defender.

The Yankees are fortunate to have a great deal of depth, plus they will have the entire offseason to explore the trade and free-agent market.

In-house, highly touted youngster Gleyber Torres can move from second base to shortstop if need be, and other options include utility players Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Wade. New York could also look to re-sign veterans Neil Walker or Adeiny Hechavarria after they performed well down the stretch.