Philadelphia Phillies: 4 players impacted by a missed season
The Phillies made a nice move to bring in the veteran shortstop over the offseason, as it was a logical fit for both the club and the player. They were in need of adding to their infield depth after the departures of Maikel Franco and Cesar Hernandez, and Gregorius himself was looking for a fresh start after his semi-successful return in half a season with the Yankees last year following a lengthy absence from Tommy John surgery.
It made a ton of sense for the Phils to ink Gregorius to a one-year, “prove it”-type contract at a fairly reasonable rate, giving the team a potentially big return (and reuniting Didi with his old skip, Girardi) while providing Gregorius a forum to showcase his skills for a new contract after this year, whether in Philly or elsewhere. It all seemed fairly low-risk with a big upside for everyone involved.
Now, however, he may never play a game for the team. And that would be frustrating, a big wrench thrown into a pretty good plan. It’s not as hard to swallow as what the Dodgers are going through right now, facing the possibility of superstar Mookie Betts never taking the field for them, but it’s still an aggravating thought.