Gleyber’s bid to start season in Bronx ends

TAMPA—G le yb er Torres’ slim hopes of making the Opening Day roster for the Yankees vanished Tuesday, when he was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following a 2-2 tie against the Tigers.

Torres went 1-for-2 with a walk at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Tuesday and is 4-for-25 in 11 games this spring.

“There’s no cause for concern,’’ general manager Brian Cashman said. “It’s the time of the camp when we need to start whittling down players and he was struggling at the plate and wasn’t going to win the competition. He needs to get at-bats.”

Torres is coming off Tommy John surgery to his left elbow last season and the Yankees kept him out of winter ball. Torres’ return to the field has been bumpy, as he has struggled at the plate after wowing the Yankees a year ago during spring training and moving quickly from Double-A Trenton to SWB.

“The first at-bats [of the spring], I [didn’t] feel comfortable,’’ Torres said. “I’ll stay in my approach and play my game. … It’s not easy to miss nine months of games and come back perfect. You’re human. I’ll do my job and wait for another opportunity.”

He had been considered a favorite to win the starting second-base job following Starlin Castro’s trade to Miami in the deal that brought Giancarlo Stanton to The Bronx, but with his sluggish start to the spring and the Yankees’ signing of Neil Walker on Monday, Torres’ hopes had dimmed. Tyler Wade had also outplayed Torres.

Wal ke r, who worke d out on the back fields on Tuesday in his f irst full day as a Yankee, will get more work in at the team’s minor league complex on Wednesday and should be in a Grapefruit League game by the end of the week.

While Cashman and Aaron Boone indicated Walker would be able to play three infield positions, he seems to be lined up to be the regular second baseman.

“G le yb er is only 21,” Cash man said .“He had a great camp last year, but his season ended in June and he hadn’t played since.”

Cashman wouldn’t say this was a step back for the team’s top prospect.

“The journey continues,” Cashman said. “We still expect [Torres] to perform at a high level and he could get his chance this year.”

Aaron Judge is coming off a season in which he led the American League in homers, but he won’t be leading the league in salary anytime soon. The AL Rookie of the Year is set to make $622,300 with the Yankees this season, according to the Associated Press. Judge won’t be eligible for salary arbitration until after the 2019 season.

Luis Severino, who finished third in the AL Cy Young Award vote last year, is set to make $604,975, while Greg Bird will make $582,000 and Jordan Montgomery $580,450.

Jacoby Ellsbury is slated to take batting practice for the f irst time on Wednesday since suffering an oblique injury that has jeopardized his readiness for Opening Day.

“I’m advancing every day,” Ellsbury said. “I’ve been running, throwing and lifting. Pretty much everything. The next step will be batting practice outside. … I haven’t had any setbacks.”