Aaron Boone still believes in Gleyber Torres despite recent blunders in field
After committing errors in the last two games, Gleyber Torres was not in the lineup on Tuesday night. The shortstop and struggling left fielder Joey Gallo were both off for the second game of the important series against the Blue Jays.
It’s a chance in the middle of a 20-straight-game stretch to give them a breather and try to reset, Aaron Boone said.
“In Joey’s case and Gleyber’s case, those are going to be two really important players for us down the stretch that I feel like are gonna play key roles and, and do some really good things for us,” the Yankees manager said. “It’s about just finding that formula where, getting them in the right situations picking a day here or there where they’re down and hopefully they can benefit from that.”
Torres is coming off missing 22 games with a sprained thumb and the clock on a very important season for him is ticking. The 24-year-old is in his second straight year where his power numbers have disappeared and his offense is not enough now to cover for his defensive mistakes.
In 103 games this season, Torres is hitting .253/.325/.347 with a 672 OPS. He has six home runs and 23 total extra-base hits in 372 at-bats this season. It’s a far cry from when he hit 38 homers in 2019 and the Yankees decided his bat was enough to cover for some sloppy defense.
Boone, however, has consistently preached faith in Torres.
“I know Gleyer’s made a couple mistakes defensively the last couple days and he has had some on the year but I think it’s important to look at the body of work that Gleyber’s put in this year defensively and it’s been a lot of steady play,” Boone said. “He’s had some plays that the narrative kind of lasts on one play for the better part of a month, but if you look at the day in day out body of work I think he’s been really steady for us.”
Torres has been charged with 15 errors this season and has a -10 defensive runs saved rating.
Tuesday night, Boone had Andrew Velazquez in at shortstop. The Bronx native may not have the power potential that Torres flashed in 2019, when he had an .891 OPS, but he has a solid glove and speed.
COMING UP
The Yankees will start rookie Luis Gil Wednesday as expected. The 23-year-old right-hander was excellent in three emergency spot starts for the Yankees earlier this season. He still has not given up a run over 15.2 innings pitched.
Gil will be the sixth starter inserted in this stretch of 20 straight games for the Yankees, meaning they will push back Nestor Cortes to Thursday and give each an extra day of rest.
After Cortes on Thursday, Jordan Montgomery will start the Subway Series in Queens on Friday followed by Corey Kluber, Boone announced Tuesday.
HELP IS ON THE WAY
Michael King, who has been on the injured list since July 7 with a right middle finger contusion, is close to a return.
“Probably pretty soon,” Boone said. “He’s going to throw today in the minor leagues. So he’ll have another rehab outing today, hopefully, two, two-plus innings, in the 40-45 pitches range and then could potentially be back with us later in the week.”
That would have him built up enough to be a long man out of the Yankees’ already stretched thin bullpen.
King had a 3.72 ERA when he went on the IL in 14 appearances, including six starts. He struggled in the early innings with his starts, but was really effective out of the bullpen. In eighth relief appearances, King had a 1.90 ERA over 23.2 innings.
With Jonathan Loaisiga going on the IL last weekend, King in the bullpen would be a big boost.
Domingo German (right shoulder inflammation) and Luis Severino (Tommy John surgery) threw bullpens Tuesday. It was the first time off the mound Severino, who has had two injury setbacks in his rehab from elbow reconstruction surgery, since he was shut down from a minor league rehab start August 11 with shoulder tightness.
