The Yankees certainly didn’t enter the 2024 season imagining that starting infielder Gleyber Torres would be a liability in just about every category. Torres was coming off a tremendous 2023 campaign that saw him feature as one of the team’s best hitters, aside from Aaron Judge.
Torres Has Underwhelmed
Heading into a contract year, the consensus was that Torres would elevate his game and become an even more critical piece of the puzzle. However, general manager Brian Cashman heavily considered replacing him at the trade deadline since the 27-year-old has played a very inconsistent defense, and his offensive metrics remain below average.
On the season, he’s hitting .235/.310/.358, career lows across the board. His 10 home runs are a massive dip from the 25 he hit last season over 158 games. Torres might be lucky if he hits 15 this year, diminishing his value considerably as he prepares to enter free agency.
However, the Yankees are experiencing a small surge of offense from the veteran, who was recently benched, failing to hustle out of the box on a flyball to left field. Torres ended up hitting the wall on a ball he thought would clear the fence. Manager Aaron Boone felt it necessary to bench him, setting an example for the rest of the team hustle — the two sides smoothed things over after the game, and Torres was back in the lineup the next day.
An Offensive Surge The Yankees Needed
Over the past 30 days, he is hitting .286 with a .364 OBP, including two homers, nine RBIs, and 22 hits. His slugging metrics remain low, but he is picking up the pace with his contact and plate discipline.
After putting together strong slugging metrics last year, Torres ranks in just the 31st percentile in average exit velocity and 23rd percentile in hard-hit rate. He does sit in the 88th percentile in chase rate, so his discipline isn’t bad, but he is hitting with the lowest amount of power in his career this season.
In addition, he played 924.2 innings at second base this year, hosting a .965 fielding percentage, 14 errors, -8 defensive runs saved, and -4 outs above average. Based on his plummeting defensive value, it is safe to say that Torres will likely depart from the Yankees this upcoming off-season. Ultimately, they acquire Jazz Chisholm to fill the spot, leaving third base open for the taking.
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However, as long as Gleyber is starting for the Yankees, they need him to step up and provide positive contributions. In the end, he’s a critical piece of the batting order, and they need his peak potential if the team wants to make a deep playoff push toward the World Series appearance.