Youthful trio will battle for playing time in stacked infield

TAMPA — Prior to last season, Gleyber Torres had spent his entire professional career at shortstop but for one game — a start at second base for Single-A Tampa in 2016.

While it’s clear Didi Gregorius is entrenched at short for the Yankees, Torres’ bat seemingly is al- most ready for the majors. Last season, Torres played 15 games at third, 10 at second and 28 at short.

So far this spring, Torres has split time at the minor league complex doing drills at third with fellow prospect Miguel Andujar and second base with Tyler Wade, who divided last season between Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and The Bronx.

Wade hardly got on the field with the Yankees and was almost entirely unproductive at the plate when he got playing time, finishing with a .446 OPS in 63 plate appearances in the majors.

Since the Yankees haven’t signed another infielder to a major league deal this offseason, the 23year-old Wade could be in the mix for a spot on the roster — something general manager Brian Cashman has indicated throughout the offseason.

On Sunday, former Yankee and current YES broadcaster David Cone wrote on Twitter: “Don’t sleep on Tyler Wade. Just saying.”

The retired pitcher pointed to Wade’s “plus defense with plus speed.”

The Yankees love Wade’s base-running ability, and he hit well in 85 games at SWB.

Whether he’s able to do enough to stave off Torres and perhaps Andujar figures to be one of the battles of the spring after Starlin Castro and Chase Headley were both dealt. Jace Peterson and Danny Espinosa were signed to free-agent deals.

Mike Moustakas and Neil Walker remain available in this nightmarish offseason for free agents, and if the Yankees could acquire either on a one-year deal, the room for rookies would slip significantly. But until one of those veterans ends up in The Bronx, the focus will be on a trio of young infielders to see if they’re ready for the majors.