The New York Yankees struggled with the leadoff spot all season long due to DJ LeMahieu’s absence. He sustained a foot injury in spring training and ended up missing two crucial months. While the Yanks experimented with a revolving door, an unexpected candidate stepped up late into the season.
Gleyber Torres, the New York Yankees second baseman, is an impending free agent awaiting his fate. While his love for the franchise is well-documented, his performance doesn’t match his intentions. Torres had a horrendous start to the 2024 MLB season. But a mid-season break resulted in a major turnaround for the Yanks.
Can A Second Half Resurgence Reverse Gleyber Torres’ Fate?
The New York Yankees lineup has received a significant boost with the emergence of Gleyber Torres as their new leadoff hitter. Long regarded as a talented but inconsistent player, Torres has reinvented himself in the leadoff role, providing the Yankees with much-needed stability at the top of the order. Torres, who has bounced around the batting order throughout his career, seems to have found a natural fit in the leadoff spot. Until June 25, he had a .215/.294/.333 slash line, which forced manager Aaron Boone to bench him for a ‘mental reset.’ While Boone’s words sounded a mere excuse, Torres’ resurgence was startling. He went 2-for-4 with a homer in his first game back.
Since then, Gleyber Torres has improved to .284 with 29 runs and 24 RBI in just 50 games, out of which the majority of the games were played as a leadoff hitter. While his defense is still awful, the second baseman’s offensive surge is still worth the hype. This comes at a time when Torres is struggling to make a case for upcoming free agency. He is an impending free agent with the New York Yankees, uncertain of an extension. Regardless, the transformation of Torres into a dependable leadoff hitter has given the Bronx Bombers a spark as they fight to stay in playoff contention. Moreover, as the season progresses, the slugger’s ability to maintain his form at the top of the lineup will be key to the team’s success, especially as they look to capitalize on their power hitters and drive in runs consistently.
Analyst Suggests Strange Idea For Yankees World Series Dream
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman argued that the New York Yankees should consider giving Aaron Judge some rest as the regular season winds down despite the team’s push to win the AL East. Judge, who is the frontrunner for the AL MVP, has been a workhorse for the Yanks this season. Since June 20, he has played in every game, often in the physically demanding center field position.
Hence, Jon Heyman suggests that this relentless schedule has taken a toll on Aaron Judge, possibly contributing to his early-September slump, during which he went 16 games without a home run and saw his OPS dip to .797 for the month. For context, Judge’s OPS hadn’t been below 1.106 since April. However, it appears unlikely for the Yankees to adopt such a strategy anytime soon.
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