Yankees general manager Brian Cashman reportedly suggested Gleyber Torres was out of shape for much of the 2020 season, owing to the unprecedented interruption caused by the coronavirus crisis.
Cashman, appearing on the YES Network on Thursday night, said Torres lost his form after spring training was shut down in March, and wasn't in peak condition at the outset of Summer Camp, the New York Post reported.
“I think ultimately he struggled at the beginning of the pandemic 60-game season because after spring training No. 1 was shut down into spring training No. 2, he wasn’t in the best of shape to start the second spring training,’’ Cashman said on the "Yankees Hot Stove Show," according to the report.
Cashman clarified that the organization wasn't upset with Torres given the circumstances, and was pleased when he began looking like his usual self.
“Once we got him back in shape, we saw the last 20 games and the playoffs, the Gleyber Torres we’re used to seeing,’’ Cashman said.
Torres slumped majorly in August, hitting a paltry .220/.330/.254 in the season's first full month, before rebounding in September and October to hit a much more palatable .259/.377/.466.
The deep funk was alarming to Yankees fans, prompting all sorts of speculation about what was wrong with the two-time All-Star. YES Network analyst John Flaherty told WFAN's Moose & Maggie at the time that Torres' timing at the plate was wildly out of sync.
The budding superstar infielder then caught fire in the postseason, hitting .435/.567/1.262 with a pair of homers and five RBIs in 30 plate appearances in the Bombers' seven games.
While Torres' bat will play at any of second, short and even third base, the issue of his best defensive position still remains a point of contention among Yankees observers.
Cashman admitted the right-handed-hitting slugger is probably best suited for the keystone, the report said, but added that Torres is "more than capable" at shortstop, where he struggled at times in 2020.
Torres is more likely to remain at short should the Yankees re-sign star second baseman DJ LeMahieu, however.