For the second time in three games, Gleyber Torres is out of the Yankees’ starting lineup.
In what has been one of the most surprising and drastic falls from grace in recent team history, the once prized prospect and two-time All-Star has gone from a 38-homer phenom at 22 years old to a struggling 25-year-old without a set place in New York’s starting lineup.
But even as Torres continues to struggle for what is now the third straight season, Aaron Boone still envisions Torres being a contributor in 2022.
“I think he’s in a good place,” Boone said before Thursday’s series finale against the Tigers. “I feel like all spring, I like where his swing is at and what I feel like he’s getting back to. I feel like he’s driving the ball more in his work. First week of games, felt like he was getting some real good swings in. he’ll get there.”
Those swings haven’t generated results. Torres does have a home run on the year, something the Yanks would like to see more of given his power disappearance in recent years, but overall, he has just five hits in 35 at-bats, good for a .143 batting average and a .491 OPS.
Torres clearly needs to make changes to salvage his once promising career, as he isn’t nearly a good enough defender to be a middling offensive performer, but Boone says Torres is already on his way to making those tweaks to begin trending back upward.
“He’s made the necessary adjustments this spring,” Boone said. “The biggest thing last year was he didn’t hit for the power that he’s put up in the past, but he was still doing a lot of good things and finished down the stretch strong for us.
“Absolutely know that’s in there for him, and we just gotta pull it out.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
