The New York Yankees have been waiting patiently for infielder Gleyber Torres to break out of his lengthy cold streak. Torres has been struggling considerably over the past few weeks, especially in the month of August when he hit .180 with a 20.4% on base rate.
He recorded just 18 hits over 100 at-bats, tallying 33 strikeouts and just a measly three walks. To start September, Torres seemed to be going down the same path, but he broke out against the Minnesota Twins starting on Monday, providing a bit of optimism that his dark days might be behind him.
Over the past three games, Torres has enjoyed 11 at-bats, recording two hits, three runs, two RBIs, three walks, and a home run. He even contributed a stolen base in the second game of a 7–1 victory over the Twins.
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The Yankees finally saw Gleyber Torres awaken from slumber:
The very moment Torres broke out of his chains was when he launched a two-run homer in the first game of the doubleheader on Wednesday in the 6th inning, tying the game at three apiece.
Torres showed a bit more patience in the batter’s box in the 11th inning, helping to load the bases via a walk. The 25-year-old second baseman had a fantastic first half of the year, but his numbers have deteriorated leading up to this point. If he can find his groove and begin performing at the level we know he’s capable of, the Yankees’ batting order will be far more productive.
Specifically, prior to the All-Star break, Torres didn’t feature a batting average below .244 in the first four months of the season. Suddenly, his numbers went falling off a cliff in August, but the Yankees will trade one bad month for four stellar months in a heartbeat.
With injuries plaguing the infield currently, they need Gleyber to feature at second base on an everyday basis. DJ LeMahieu is dealing with a toe injury, Anthony Rizzo is on bedrest due to headaches stemming from an epidural to treat his lower back, and Josh Donaldson is on paternity leave. That leaves Torres, Oswald Peraza, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa featuring as the team’s primary infielders.
Luckily for the Bombers, they got extraordinary value from this combination on Wednesday, but the group will be looking to compound on their success moving forward.