Didi Gregorius has awhile before he can join his teammates again for a game, but he took a big step in the right direction on Monday down in Tampa.

Gregorius was seen throwing for the first time since he underwent successful Tommy John surgery on Oct. 17. According to NJ.com's Randy Miller, the veteran had "25 tosses" from "60 feet" at the Yankees' minor-league facility, and was also making light throws to first base fielding grounders at short.

The best result coming from this small workout was Gregorius feeling no pain in his elbow. However, he realizes how long the road ahead of him is.

"It's still a waiting game for me, so I'm getting there," he said.

While Gregorius continues to rehab, the plan is to have veteran SS Troy Tulowitzki fill in his role, and see what happens once Gregorius returns healthy. Tulowitzki knows all about rehab, having not played in an MLB game himself since July 28, 2017 as he recovered from heel surgery.

The new teammates have gotten to spend some time together during their early workouts, and Gregorius was impressed by what he saw from Tulowitzki.

"Up close on the same team, he looks pretty good," Gregorius admitted. "I've played against the guy for a while, so I know what he's capable of."

The Yankees are hoping Tulowitzki can not only stay healthy, but produce the way Gregorius has since joining the team. Last season, Gregorius owned a .268/.335/.494 slash line with 27 homers -- the most in a Yankees uniform -- and 86 RBIs. He also only committed six errors in 309 attempts at shortstop.

Popular in the Community