Are the New York Yankees making a big mistake with Gleyber Torres?

New York Yankees, Gleyber Torres
Jul 26, 2018; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) throws to first base against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees made the educated decision to move on from Didi Gregorius and plug Gleyber Torres into the shortstop role this offseason, but that choice could become a problematic one.

Torres, struggled immensely this spring in Grapefruit League play, committing five errors and blundering choppers and gather-throw sequences. He missed the target multiple times and look uncomfortable in his new role, which is a bit concerning based on the fact the Yankees are putting all their faith in the young slugger.

NJ.com spoke to a scout that also felt worried about his errors this spring:

“It’s a concern,” said the scout, who requested anonymity so that he could give an honest opinion. “I don’t think it’s a concern that Torres can get routine ground balls or get to the ball and throw the ball. But when you look at a quality shortstop – balls in the hole, choppers that come in, arm with range – when I see Torres play shortstop, I see an adequate defender at best.”

As the scout mentioned, Torres is capable of getting to the ball — he’s an athletic player who can be an adequate defender. However, it will take time for him to adapt to the shortstop position.

Where the issues really lie for the New York Yankees:

If Torres proves to be a bust at shortstop, the Bombers will need to move him back into the second-base role, where he’s far more efficient. The problem is that the Yanks don’t have a serviceable backup in case the experiment fails. They would be forced to move DJ LeMahieu, who’s an All-Star second-baseman, over to short in an attempt to supplement the lack of quality there.

LeMahieu has only played in four games at shortstop in his entire career, and while he escaped all 4.0 innings of play without a problem, he’s not the most experienced option. The Yankees also have Thairo Estrada, who can fill the void, but depending on him to be their everyday starter is not ideal.

In a perfect world, Torres would solve his defensive issues and develop into the Yankees shortstop for the foreseeable future, but those deficiencies don’t go away overnight. More reps would undoubtedly help, but we should be prepared to experience consistent errors for the season ahead.