Embattled New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres is not part of his team's lineup for the last game of the Subway Series against the New York Mets Wednesday night. Manager Aaron Boone has made the decision to put the struggling Torres on the bench a day after he failed to take care of business defensively on a late-inning grounder in Tuesday night's 9-7 loss to the Mets at Citi Field.
“Just felt like he needs it. You know, might give him a couple of days here just to kind of reset again. I just think he's too important and a guy that I'm confident will get going. It's been a grind. It's been a struggle. I think he's feeling that a little bit,” Boone said of his decision on Torres ahead of the series finale versus the Mets (h/t Yankees Videos).
“I just I think I think it's hopefully something that will serve him well mentally, physically to just, you know, take an exhale and and then, you know, work to get him rolling because when he's going like we've all seen him go like he's just a really important piece to the lineup,” Boone added.
It hasn't been a kind year for Torres, thus far. He is hitting just .215 in the 2024 MLB season and carries just a .294 OBP and a .333 slugging percentage. He has seven home runs with 29 RBIs and four stolen bases as well. The 27-year-old Torres entered the 2024 campaign coming off a 2023 journey that saw him slash .273/.347/.453 with 25 home runs and 68 RBIs to along with a 117 OPS+. This year, his OPS+ is just at 78 through his first 327 plate appearances. He did not help his case when he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Tuesday's defeat at the hands of the Mets.
All those numbers don't sound good for Torres, especially for his outlook in the offseason. Torres is a pending free agent after signing a one-year deal worth $14.2 million with the Yankees last January to avoid arbitration. The benching could also indicate that Torres would be shipped ahead of the looming MLB trade deadline.
“Physically, you broke that up last night. He's good. I mean, you know, he came out with a little bit of a growing issue hip, but it's nothing that's significant too significant,” Boone said when asked if there is something physically that's bothering Torres.
Given that Boone hinted that Torres' benching would go beyond the final game of the Mets series, it appears that the Venezuelan would be out of the lineup as well in the Yankees' series opener on the road against the Toronto Blue Jays this coming Thursday. With Torres riding the bench, it's Oswaldo Cabrera who's assigned to patrol second base for the time being.
Yankees looking to turn things around, beginning in the Mets series finale
The Yankees have lost five of their last six games. Their pitching hasn't been up to par over that same stretch, as they have posted a 6.67 ERA over that same stretch. In the loss to the Mets, starter Gerrit Cole got shelled for six earned runs on seven hits in just four innings. Despite their struggles of late, Boone's team remains on top of the American League East division with a 52-29 record — just two games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles.
Follow Us
Subscribe