MLB notes: Didi Gregorius has two hits in first game since Tommy John surgery

New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius played five innings of defense and went two for four with a walk Monday at extended spring training in his first game action since Tommy John surgery on Oct. 17.

“It was good,” Gregorius said.

Outfielders Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge also took steps forward in their return from injuries. Stanton homered as he started a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment and Judge threw on the field before New York’s game at Baltimore.

Playing against Detroit Tigers minor leaguers and in front of Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, Gregorius singled twice and cleanly fielded three grounders but had an error for an errant throw to first base.

Gregorius is coming back from surgery to a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He appears on track to soon start a rehab assignment with Class A Tampa and rejoin the Yankees in mid-to-late June.

“He got a lot of at-bats, got a couple balls. He threw a ball away, so his arm was feeling a little too good, I guess,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before New York faced the Orioles in Baltimore. “But he got through it. A hot day down there. A couple more days down there and then, hopefully, get transferred over to the Tarpons. But a big step, obviously, in the return for Didi.”

Etc.

The San Francisco Giants called up left-hander Andrew Suarez to start Monday night’s game against the Atlanta Braves. Suarez was 2-3 with a 6.33 ERA in six starts for triple-A Sacramento before making his season debut against the Braves. The 26-year-old missed 16 games while with the River Cats with a hamstring injury. …

Cubs closer Brandon Morrow has started throwing again after experiencing a setback in his recovery from offseason elbow surgery. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein says Morrow threw from 45 to 60 feet Monday in Arizona. The Cubs shut down Morrow’s rehab last month after he didn’t recover well from a bullpen session. He led Chicago with 22 saves in 35 games last season after signing a $21 million, two-year contract as a free agent, but missed the second half.