Before the start of 2024, Yankee second baseman Gleyber Torres was considered one of baseball’s best. Now, this is certainly not the case.
Gleyber Torres Struggling Amidst Contract Year
Despite being among the few bright spots in the Yankees’ 2023 lineup, Torres has regressed significantly this season. His bat is terrible, his already-shaky defense is worse, and he isn’t even showing any hustle.
From Bad To Worse
In 80 games this season, Torres is hitting .215 with 7 HR’s, not to mention an OPS+ of 78. This season has been an outlier in every way for the 27-year-old, especially considering his second-lowest OPS+ in a season was 93 in 2021. How can a player who had a .800 OPS and 25 home runs last year fall off so quickly?
Well, it wasn’t always this terrible. Torres had a stretch in mid-May to June where he looked like his old self again. But since then, he’s been hitting even worse than before his hot streak. He has 2 hits in 29 AB’s in his last nine games. On top of that, his cold streak at the plate also seems to affect his fielding, making two forgettable errors. This, combined with a “lack of effort,” forced manager Aaron Boone’s hand in sitting his second baseman.
No Panicking, Just A Reset
The goal was to give him a “mental reset” against the Mets and Blue Jays on Wednesday and Thursday. After the Yanks’ 9-2 loss in their series opener against the Jays, Torres commented on his mindset during his awful stretch:
“I feel struggle — I don’t feel my swing is there. [Mentally] I’m good. I’m fine. When you don’t do the right thing for the team, it’s not that easy. I try to compete hard and try to get things right. But now I don’t think I do the right thing. I hope those things help me to do good and that I start running [Friday].”
Boone supported his second baseman, saying he knows how much his player cares: “I’m looking forward to what I know will be a resurgence for him at some point. I continue to say that he’s an essential part of our team and our lineup, giving us length. He’s too good a hitter to be held down for too long.”
Unless the Yankees acquire a utility infielder at the deadline, it’s safe to say that Torres will be starting for the remainder of the year, so he’ll have his shot to improve.
Potential Replacements
There must be talks about replacing Torres in the Yankees’ front office. One option that comes to mind is the Angels’ Luis Rengifo, who has been excellent this season and can play multiple infield positions. However, Cashman and Co. are more likely to address the need at first/third base over the second (that is, unless Ben Rice proves to be a serviceable replacement for Rizzo). Though a trade will probably be considered, Torres will probably ride out the rest of the year at second, regardless of his performance (unless it gets even worse). Like Boone said, he’s too good of a hitter to struggle for longer.
Foggy Future
After this season, however, his future in the Bronx looks very unclear. Torres has to prove he is a valuable asset to the team in the last year of his contract. This is especially considering Hal Steinbrenner’s comments on cutting down the Yanks’ payroll after this year. Torres must show he’s worth paying because it doesn’t look like his payday will come from New York.
Regardless of whether or not Torres stays with New York, what matters most is his performance right now. Torres is just one of the many problems the Yankees face in their infield. Other than Anthony Volpe at short, first, second, and third base have all been problems this season for the Bombers. After losing 9 of their last 11, they need guys like Torres to step up, and they need him now.
Main Photo Credits: Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
