Gio Urshela shocks Yankees fans with surgery post on Instagram

Yankees 3B Gio Urshela unexpected underwent elbow surgery.

Nothing like a late Friday night news dump to get New York Yankees fans all twisted, right? Perhaps too many of us thought the injury bug wouldn’t start to strike until February, but it’s gotten an early start ahead of the 2021 season.

Third baseman Gio Urshela shocked fans when he posted a picture to his Instagram account that showed him wearing a sling as he was hooked up to some device in the hospital. It was evident he underwent surgery, but his caption didn’t fully explain what was going on.

Didn’t he not need to go under the knife? That’s what we thought! Well, he did, and while he’ll be ready for Opening Day, his start to spring training will likely be delayed.

Get well soon, Gio! Shortly after his post went up, the Yankees released a statement providing some more info on the slugger’s status. Urshela will be on the shelf for three months. Not exactly ideal, but if it had to be done, then it had to be done.

INF Gio Urshela underwent surgery today to remove a bone chip from his right elbow. The procedure was performed by Yankees Head Team Physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital & went as expected. Urshela’s anticipated recovery time from surgery is 3 months.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) December 5, 2020

But apparently it didn’t have to be done? According to Yankees insider Bryan Hoch, the team’s doctors examined Urshela’s elbow (remember, he missed time to due a bone spur in his right elbow) after the 2020 season and determined surgery wasn’t needed or recommended.

It seems Urshela wanted to play it safe and ensure his 2021 goes uninterrupted.

Gio Urshela was examined by #Yankees doctors after the season, but surgery was not recommended then because he was not displaying any symptoms. With a three-month recovery, Urshela could be ready for Opening Day, though he'd likely get a late start to Spring Training.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) December 5, 2020

We can’t fault the guy for taking a smart precautionary measure. You never know, maybe he was experiencing symptoms while he was training this offseason. To have that injury potentially be a nagging issue while the Yankees are trying to make a World Series run is much worse than him missing three months in the offseason.

Now don’t be surprised if general manager Brian Cashman responds by signing a backup third baseman or middle infielder to address what could be a slow start for Gio to 2021. If DJ LeMahieu returns, he could get a few games at the hot corner to begin next season, but then the issue becomes who plays second? Tyler Wade? Maybe. But it’s clear the Yankees want to upgrade, and this surgery news may push them in that direction faster than expected.

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Yankees 3B Gio Urshela unexpected underwent elbow surgery.

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