Gleyber Torres was under fire after the Yankees’ 4-1 loss to the Braves on Wednesday night for a check swing that resulted in a tapper in front of home plate, which led to the slumping infielder slowly trotting to first base.
Aaron Boone told reporters he would talk to Torres about the play, saying the effort “has to be a little better,” and Torres agreed with that assessment.
“It was a check swing, and in the moment I didn’t know if it was fair or foul,” Torres said. “I didn’t have a good view of the ball and I started late. But I feel like I can have a little more effort running to first base.”
Torres also agreed that the play, particularly the lack of hustle to first base, was partially attributed to a reaction of frustration after another poor swing in a season that has been full of them so far.
“For sure,” Torres said. “The situation we’re in right now, especially that moment I want a hit to help the team, and a check swing with a ball right to the pitcher is not a way I want to finish my at-bat. It is what it is…I feel like I can put in a little more effort on that check swing, the grounder I hit. But I just turn the page. Tomorrow is another day.”
Torres certainly hopes tomorrow brings better results than the present moment. He is currently batting .186 with a WAR of -0.2 through 59 at-bats, nowhere near the player the Yanks have been used to seeing after he was an All-Star in his first two years in the league. Torres struggled to start the shortened 2020 season but came alive down the stretch and was a force in the playoffs, and after speaking to his improved physical shape in 2021, many expected Torres to return to his 38-homer self from 2019. So far, he has looked lost at the plate, like many of his teammates.
“I feel like I’m not doing the things I always do,” Torres said. “I’m missing too many pitches. The first 16 games I’ve struggled…I’m working before the games really hard to get to where I want to be right now. That’s the situation right now. I want to help my team and I’m not doing a good job right now.”
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