The New York Yankees have had a myriad of inconsistent players this season, despite only being 13 games into the year. Hosting a record of 7-6, the Bombers are coming off a series win against the Detroit Tigers, losing the final game of the series by a score of 3-0. Being blanked by Detroit, their first of the season, is quite embarrassing. Failure to produce run support has been one of the team’s biggest downfalls.
Aside from Joey Gallo, who had been more of a liability than a strong suit, the Yankees have also recently limited second-baseman Gleyber Torres’s playing time. This season, Torres has earned a dismal .167 average, producing just six hits over 36 at-bats. At least he’s curated two RBIs, more than the fat zero Gallo has contributed.
However, Torres’s impact has been lessened recently, especially with DJ LeMahieu starting the year strong in the batter’s box. Torres has tallied just one hit in his last 16 at-bats, a number the Bombers simply can’t roll with, given their desperate need for more offensive production.
Despite being benched, field manager Aaron Boone stated that he “wouldn’t read too much” into the decision to keep him out of the lineup, also adding that Torres was “maybe a little off the last few games.”
Boone came to Gleyber’s defense, backing up his swing and the progress he’s made.
“I think he’s in a good place,’’ Boone said. “All spring, I liked where his swing was at and what I feel like he was getting back to driving the ball more.”
“He’ll get there,’’ Boone said. “He made the necessary adjustments this spring. The biggest thing last year was that he didn’t hit for power like in the past, but still did good things and finished strong for us. I absolutely know that’s in there for him. We’ve just got to pull it out.”
Torres smacked 38 homers back in 2019, showcasing incredible power, but has failed to replicate those numbers since. His slugging metrics haven’t changed much from his two dominant campaigns, but he’s simply not making the same contact. It’s possible the change in ball design has impacted his power, considering Brett Gardner smashed 28 homers back in 2019 as well.