WASHINGTON, D.C. — When the Yankees toyed with Gleyber Torres in the leadoff spot for the first 12 games of the season, Aaron Boone found him to be pressing before dropping the second baseman in his lineup.
Lately, however, Torres has only been pressing the right buttons batting first, a role he reassumed on Aug. 16. The right-handed hitter has been the Yankees’ only leadoff man since then; he entered Tuesday’s game against the Nationals with a .316/.435/.526 slash line over 10 coinciding games. He had also gone deep in his last two games, belting a three-run shot on Sunday and a leadoff blast on Monday.
The Yankees haven’t had much consistency at the very top of their lineup, trying six different hitters in the one-hole this season. But with Torres performing well, Boone is hoping he can take hold of the job down the stretch.
“I would love for that to be the case,” the manager said Monday.
Torres has become the go-to choice when the Yankees face southpaws. However, Boone noted that hitting him first all the time improves the team’s left-right balance.
“I’m loving his at-bat quality,” the skipper said. “He’s certainly capable of being that guy. Hopefully it’ll continue.”
Added Aaron Judge: “It’s huge. He’s a big part of this offense. When he goes, we go. Having a guy out there at the top of the lineup that can leave the ballpark, work the count, work walks when you need to, that’s what we need in the leadoff spot, especially when you got Juan Soto right behind him.”
An impending free agent, Torres is having a disappointing season overall. His defense has been among the worst at his position, and he woke up with a .242/.320/.364 slash line, 12 homers, 50 RBI and a 96 wRC+ on Tuesday.
Only 10 other players with at least 500 plate appearances had a lower wRC+. Two of them happened to be Alex Verdugo and Anthony Volpe, two other players the Yankees have tried in the one-hole.
However, Torres’ string of success predates his return to that spot in the lineup.
He was actually hitting .287/.362/.414 with five dingers and a 21 RBI in 45 contests since returning from a two-game benching on June 28. While Torres’ slugging has been down compared to past seasons, he’s quietly turned things around after hitting .215/.295/.333 over his first 80 games.
“I just think it’s been a tough year in a lot of ways for him,” Boone said when asked about Torres’ pop. “Frankly, this month has been really good. It’s been very Gleyber Torres-like. The power will come in bunches. It may end up a down year power-wise; so be it. The reality right now is he’s in a really good place in the batter’s box. He’s a really good hitter right now. I just want to keep that going with him. I’m sure he’ll flash some power in there, especially if he’s in the place he is right now.”
Twins Take Tonkin Back
Michael Tonkin is going to another contender, as the Twins claimed the reliver from the Yankees on Tuesday. He was designated for assignment on Sunday.
Tonkin was a nice success story for a bit, recording a 3.38 ERA in 39 games for the Yankees after bouncing between the Twins and Mets at the start of the season. However, he struggled over his last 22 games with the Yanks, recording a 5.23 ERA.
“We obviously hated to lose him,” Boone said. “I’m happy for him that he got picked up, especially with a contender. Minnesota got themselves a good pitcher.”
Tonkin, 34, spent the first five years of his career in Minnesota.
Gil Takes Another Step
After throwing a bullpen on Sunday, Luis Gil (lower back strain) progressed to live batting practice on Tuesday. Boone said he threw in Somerset, where he pitched two innings, per My Central Jersey’s Mike Ashmore.
On Monday, Boone added that it’s possible Gil misses the minimum amount of time after going on the 15-day injured list on Aug. 21.
Leave a comment