His new team is in last place, but Didi Gregorius continues to make a positive impact for the Philadelphia Phillies.
The popular former Yankees shortstop belted his fourth home game of the season and made a strong relay box to the plate for the final out of the Phils’ 5-4 win Sunday night over the Atlanta Braves.
Gregorius, who was not re-signed as a free agent by the Yankees last winter, baptized .289 with four home games, 16 RBIs and a .814 OPS in 24 games after concluding a $ 14 million one-year deal with Philadelphia in December. The Phillies ended a five-game losing streak with Sunday’s victory, but they are just 10-14 under first-year manager Joe Girardi who enters the series opener against Washington on Tuesday.
Gregorius’ shortstop replacement for the Yanks, Gleyber Torres, was placed on the injured list last week on hamstring and quad penalties. Torres, who transitioned from second base, hit .231 with home game and six RBIs for the injury.
Gregoirus, 30, seemed on track for a long-term Yankees future before breaking his UCL in the 2018 ALDS and wrestling after returning to the team in June of last season.
Submit your Yankees questions here to answer in an upcoming Mailbox
The Yankees currently have 10 players on the IL, including Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, James Paxton, Luis Severino and Zack Britton. Judge is expected to leave Tuesday night for the IL before the start of the series against the Braves.
Tyler Wade and Thairo Estrada are most expected to manage the midfield until Torres and LeMahieu return to the Bombers lineup.
.
