The New York Yankees are preparing to face off against the Minnesota Twins in a three-game series starting on Tuesday night. With third baseman Josh Donaldson making a return from the injured list and Giancarlo Stanton in the designated hitter role, an interesting development is occurring in the infield.
The Yankees now have every infield position filled, with Anthony Rizzo at first base, DJ LeMahieu at second base, Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop, and Donaldson on the hot corner. That leaves Gleyber Torres as that odd man out.
LeMahieu will continue to feature as a super-utility man, but when the entire infield is healthy, the Yankees can’t keep him on the bench. He will supplement fatigue on a daily basis, but when the team is in flow, expect to see this normal lineup with Torres left out of the equation.
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How is Gleyber Torres performing this season?
So far this season, Torres is hitting .247 with a 28.6% on-base rate over 50 games. He has 10 homers, the first time he’s had double digits since 2019. His 18% strikeout rate is 2% less than his 2021 number, but he’s walking half the amount at just 4.9%.
Defensively, Torres has spent 373.1 innings this season at second base with a .988 fielding percentage. He’s been mostly efficient, committing just two errors and turning 11 double plays.
Gleyber has an electric bat when he’s on his game, hitting .258 in the month of May with a 29.4% on base rate and seven homers. He has simmered down in the month of June, but with the entire infield back and healthy, it will be interesting to see how manager Aaron Boone gets him involved moving forward.