The New York Yankees enjoyed the return of Gio Urshela and Giancarlo Stanton on Tuesday evening, annihilating the Toronto Blue Jays with a football score. Toronto looked so bad, even struggling catcher Gary Sanchez was able to post insane numbers, including a three-run homer and four RBIs.
Urshela’s defense was a fantastic addition, and while Stanton struck out twice over four at-bats, the Yankees didn’t need him in their whopping of the Blue Jays. They recorded 12 hits on the night and 16 overall runs, bringing the record to 27-21.
They were undoubtedly counting their blessings on Tuesday, but there was some bad news to go along with the good.
Starting shortstop Gleyber Torres has been resting the past few days after re-injuring his quad. Manager Aaron Boone addressed the issue before Tuesday’s game, stating:
“This is something I don’t want to become a bigger issue,’’ Boone said. “We’ll go day by day with him and make sure it’s out of there completely.â€
This was the correct decision for Boone — resting his star infielder to ensure he is ready for the postseason. He later stated that Torres would have played tonight if the game was more significant; the Yankees were just fine without him.
“I feel like this is something we’ll knock out [Tuesday or Wednesday],’’ Boone said. “l like if we were starting the playoffs today, he’d be playing. We want to make sure, as important as these games are, keeping him healthy playing every day for us in the final days and into the playoffs is obviously very important.â€
If the Yankees continue their winning streak, they have won six in a row, they will undoubtedly make the playoffs. Making sure their star players are 100% healthy and available is a necessity, so taking things easy with Torres, Stanton, and eventually, Aaron Judge must be a priority.