Yankees' Gleyber Torres sits for second straight game

TORONTO – Early in spring training, Gleyber Torres didn’t specify his 2024 goals but did verbalize a career one.

“I want to be a Yankee for life,” the two-time All-Star second baseman, entering the final year of his contract before free agency, said.

Halfway through this season, that goal appears to be all but unreachable.

Torres was benched by Aaron Boone after a poor performance in Tuesday’s Subway Series opener at Citi Field. That performance included the 27-year-old committing his team-high 12th error, the most among any major league second basemen, and not running hard on an inning-ending groundout in the eighth inning. He was again on the bench Thursday night as the skidding Yankees started a four-game series against the underperforming Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Before Thursday’s game, Boone said he did not have a set number of games in mind for sitting Torres, though the manager said “there’s a good chance” he could be back in the lineup Friday night.

“We’ll see,” Boone said.

Before Wednesday’s 12-2 loss to the Mets, Boone said his decision to bench Torres was partly inspired by his lack of hustle but mostly wanting to give the slumping infielder a chance for a mental “reset.”

Torres entered Thursday hitting .215 with seven homers, 13 doubles and a .627 OPS in 80 games.

“Just trying to have that sense of when it’s heavy on guys more so than normal,” Boone said Thursday. “It doesn’t mean these things always are the right things or the best things, but you try to make those assessments as you go.”

The Yankees holding on to Torres was always a longshot as Hal Steinbrenner has referenced since spring training the “money coming off the books” at season’s end and a desire to lower his $300-million-plus 2024 payroll in 2025. All of that while still planning to make an aggressive run at free-agent-to-be Juan Soto, whose agent, Scott Boras, will command a package certainly in excess of $500 million and likely approaching $600 million or beyond.

In the spring Torres hoped, at the very least, to make it a difficult decision to let him go at season’s end.

“If I have a really good year, and I put up really good numbers,” Torres said in February, “I think we can get a conversation for sure.”

Instead, the season started mediocre for Torres and has devolved from there.

Torres’ stay on the bench, as Boone alluded to Thursday, probably won’t be a long one as there are no long-term options at the position on the roster. Oswaldo Cabrera, a natural shortstop who has turned himself into a capable fill-in at multiple positions, made his third start of the season at second Wednesday night. Jahmai Jones, another utility player, got the start there Thursday. The struggling DJ LeMahieu, who received an off day Thursday but is expected back in the lineup Friday, is a three-time Gold Glove winner at second (he added a fourth Gold Glove in 2022 at the newly created “utility” position), but the veteran is entrenched mainly at third, which is not an organizational position of strength either.

Jon Berti has the most experience at second, other than LeMahieu, on the roster, but the veteran utility man is a long ways from returning from the left calf strain that has had him in the injured list since May 25.

Torres also, as difficult a time as he’s had at the plate, possesses the potential to wreck a game with his bat in a way the others don’t. Torres hit 24 homers in his 2018 rookie season and upped that to 38 in 2019. The righty-swinging Torres hit 24 homers in 2022 and hit 25 last season. It is that player the Yankees have been desperate to see this season, especially in recent weeks as much of the lineup, other than Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, have endured tough stretches.

“I know how much Gleyber cares, and I know how hard he’s working behind the scenes,” Boone said. “And I’ve always been in his shoes where the game’s hard and it can beat you down. I think we’re on the same page with that and looking forward to (what) I know is going to be a resurgence for him at some point. I continue to say, he’s obviously a really important part of our team and our lineup and giving length to our lineup. He’s too good a hitter to be held down for too long.”