What Torres’ return means for Velazquez
Gleyber Torres is back for the Yankees’ September push. Which version of the shortstop they get could help determine their path to the postseason. The Yankees activated Torres off the injured list Friday before their game against the Orioles
at the Stadium, and he was in the starting for the first time since Aug. 8, when he sprained his left thumb on a dive into second base.
“Gleyber’s shown that the more that’s on the line, usually he’s been a little bit better of a player,” manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees opened a sevengame homestand with a 4-3 win over the Orioles. “We’re at obviously a critical time in the season, entering the final month of games here of the regular season. I know he’s really eager to get back and contribute.”
Torres, who went 0-for-4 with two deep fly outs to center on Friday, entered the night batting .253 with a careerlow 90 OPS-plus and only six home runs in 99 games. His lack of power this season has been startling — two years removed from hitting 38 home runs in 2019 — but he had begun to turn things around from an overall offensive standpoint before his injury.
In his last 25 games before the costly dive into second base, he was hitting .304 (28-for-92) with an .832 OPS. He drilled three home runs during that stretch, all of them in a four-game span in July.
“I think eventually, he was going to find a stretch where he’s playing really good baseball,” Boone said. “I felt like he was doing that really in the weeks ahead of going on the IL but I think it’s the result of a good player grinding through a season and finding his way.”
Torres’ return will push Andrew Velazquez into a role off the bench after the Bronx native had filled in admirably in Torres’ absence. The Fordham Prep product, who did not play on Friday, had been called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take Torres’ roster spot and became a hometown hero while making a strong impact whenever he played (16 starts).
Though Velazquez wasn’t tearing the cover off the ball — he did have some timely hits while batting .228 in 22 games — his defense at shortstop stood out. He made multiple game-changing plays with his glove and arm while becoming a fan favorite.
Velazquez’s homecoming came as the Yankees continued their surge toward a playoff spot, going 16-6 — including a 13-game winning streak — while Torres was on the IL.
Boone said Velazquez will get some spot starts “here and there” while serving as a weapon off the bench.
“He, like Tyler [Wade], has the ability to play a lot of different positions,” Boone said. “Obviously he brings speed to the table, so there’s situations you can get him in late in ballgames. But [he’ll] play an important role for us off the bench, get some spot starts here and there and hopefully impact us.”
Some of those starts figure to come as the Yankees ease Torres back into the lineup. He played in three rehab games earlier in the week, totaling 23 innings while going 2-for-8 with two walks. Torres had a brief scare Thursday night when he was hit by a pitch on the hand in his final at-bat, but escaped further injury.
Boone said he might give Torres Saturday off, as a day game after a night game, but he should play fairly regularly from there while continuing to build back up.
“I know he’s been chomping at the bit for the better part of a week to get back in,” Boone said. “Obviously was able to get a few rehab games in, which was good. But he’s excited, ready to go. I thought he was playing really well before he got hurt and hopefully he can pick up where he left off.”