The Yankees are red hot, having just swept the San Francisco Giants and easily taken Game 1 of a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night. Luis Gil was once again stellar in the win, tossing six innings, allowing just one hit, zero earned runs, and six strikeouts.
Glimmers of Hope for Gleyber Torres in the Yankees’ Lineup
Aside from Gil dominating and Aaron Judge continuing his hot stretch, one of the team’s ice-cold infielders has begun to show signs of life. Torres, who’s in the middle of a contract year, has had a disappointing start to the season, hitting .231/.308/.338, including five homers and 17 RBIs.
On Tuesday, Torres smashed a solo homer in the second to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead, and the team took it from there, with Judge doubling to right in the third inning, driving in two base runners. Torres has been inconsistent and disappointing this year, but over the last 15 days, he’s hitting .273/.353/.523, including a .876 OPS, three homers, six RBIs, and 12 strikeouts over 44 at-bats.
Gleyber is seeing regression in several categories, including hard-hit rate and barrel percentage. His hard-hit rate sits at 34.7%, which is the lowest in his career, and his barrel percentage at 6.6%, which is the lowest since 2020. This is not the season Torres imagined with a long-term extension on his mind with the Yankees or another club.
At this point, the Yankees want to extend Soto on a long-term deal and that may compromise their ability to spend elsewhere. They should have extra money to throw around. Still, the team has a few infield prospects climbing the minor-league system who could take over at second base, replacing Torres’s production and financial commitment.
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Ultimately, players like Caleb Durbin and Jorbit Vivas are two options to consider in the future, but Torres as well-liked and has voiced his desire to stay in New York, so it is possible he will accept a more favorable deal to stick around, especially coming off a down season.