Banged-up Didi held out to get some rest

NEW YORK — For a brief period, Didi Gregorius’ hot bat had the Yankees slotting him as their cleanup hitter. Now, the shortstop’s battered body has convinced manager Joe Girardi that they may have been pushing him too hard.

Girardi said that Gregorius seems to be “really beat up,” benching him for Monday’s series opener against the Dodgers. Gregorius was 0-for-4 in Sunday’s loss to the Rays and is just 3-for-34 (.088) in nine September games.

“He needs a day,” Girardi said. “Whether it’s being hit in the arm, hit in the rib cage, from the foul balls — I think it’s affecting him swinging the bat some. Maybe even a couple days off might help him.”

Gregorius has set career highs with 17 home runs and 64 RBIs in 135 games this season, leading the Yankees with 49 extra-base hits, but he was hitless in his last 15 at-bats entering Monday. Ronald Torreyes took over as the Yanks’ shortstop in Gregorius’ …

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