BALTIMORE: Gleyber Torres says he goes from shortstop to second base in stride.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone decided to make the switch after Torres made 18 mistakes this season, including four last week.
Everything for the team, ”Torres said ahead of Tuesday night’s game at the Baltimore Orioles. I haven’t really done a good job short. I feel really good to move up to second place and just want to be part of the team.
Torres was primarily a second baseman in 2018 and 2019, seeing the time on the shortstop when Didi Gregorius was injured. When Gregorius left as a free agent ahead of the 2020 season, the Yankees moved Torres through the diamond to shortstop.
Boone passes Gio Urshela from third base to shortstop and DJ LeMahieu from second to third base. Torres made the switch for Monday’s game against Minnesota.
I always feel like his best baseball is in front of him, Boone said. I just felt the time had come. Over the past week I have felt that the weight of a few mistakes he made has had a pretty big impact.
Torres started Tuesday with a .249 with seven homers and 45 RBIs in 109 games. He hit .243 with three home runs and 16 RBIs in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Torres hit .278 with 38 homers and 90 RBIs in 2019, making the AL All-Star team for the second straight season.
It weighed him down a bit, ”Boone said of Torres’ defense. “I hope that’s something that can free him up a bit here on the home stretch. Hopefully that will put us in a position to come out and play our best. baseball.
The way I played the first two years of my career, I played second and did two all-star games, Torres said. Everything they need. If I have to come back to court next season, I will be available. Otherwise, I’ll stay in second place and do my thing like the last few years.
Torres said he has no preference to return to the shortstop next year.
I’m sure he can be a really good second baseman, said Boone. When he makes a mistake in defense, it tends to go on for weeks. If you really watch him and observe us really closely, there has been a lot of consistent play from him at shortstop. There has been a lot of him doing the routine game. He had a game here and there where he made a mistake that ends up costing us dearly or we don’t get that final and that creates a bigger story.
That part of the pressure from that position a bit and it had a little impact. But I feel capable of playing the job.
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