Yankees’ Gleyber Torres’ long way back to salvaging his season: ‘It was not easy’

NEW YORK — Gleyber Torres spent his All-Star break in Tampa, Fla., where he and former teammate Gio Urshela own a hitting facility called "The Lab." With his final season before free agency spiraling downward, Torres was desperate to find answers.

Entering the All-Star break, Torres boasted a disappointing 88 wRC+, the lowest among regular New York Yankees players. Expected to be a cornerstone of the lineup — especially after a solid 2023 season where he was the team's second-best hitter behind Aaron Judge — Torres's first four months this season were nothing short of disastrous.

He faced significant challenges, including two benchings: one for underperformance and another for a lack of hustle. In mid-April, he was demoted from the leadoff spot in favor of Anthony Volpe , as manager Aaron Boone felt the veteran was pressing too hard. Torres's OPS lingered below .600 until May 21 and didn't surpass .700 until Game 156. Defensively, he led all second basemen with 18 errors — six more than the next player — and was thrown out at home plate six times, tying him with Yandy Díaz for the most in Major League Baseball .

Despite these struggles, Torres has admirably salvaged his 2024 season. He earned another chance to lead off after Volpe was unable to handle the role. Since reclaiming the top spot in mid-August, Torres has delivered a .386 on-base percentage and .840 OPS over his final 39 regular season games. In Game 1 of the American League Division Series, he went 1-for-3 with two walks, two runs, and a two-run home run.

Before Torres re-established his worthiness for the leadoff role in August, it had been a black hole for the Yankees. Through Aug. 15, the team's 81 wRC+ ranked third-worst in MLB. However, after Boone reinstated Torres on Aug. 16, the Yankees finished the season from that point with the seventh-best wRC+.

Torres never lost faith in his ability to return as one of the league's top offensive second basemen. He dedicated himself to extra batting practice with the Yankees' hitting coaches and shifted his mentality to prioritize getting on base, whether through walks or singles. He understood that by reaching base, he could set the stage for damage, especially with Juan Soto and Judge waiting behind him.

Now, with the Yankees just 10 wins away from winning it all, Torres finds himself in his best stretch of the season. The mental and physical work he has put in is finally paying off.

"It was not easy," Torres told The Athletic. "I've been in the league for seven years and you just continue learning from your first day. I know there are going to be tough situations in any season. This was the season I had more trouble than any other season."

Yankees management was perplexed by Torres's slow start. General manager Brian Cashman speculated whether the prospect of being traded weighed on him. Trade rumors have surrounded Torres for three consecutive seasons, and in the past, he has acknowledged that they negatively affected his performance. However, once this year's trade deadline passed, Torres found his footing and began performing up to expectations.

"The real question for me is what happened the first four months rather than what he's doing the last two months," Cashman said. "We're used to seeing what he's doing now and certainly (weren't) expecting the slumps that were occurring in the first half because he's so much better than that. He's certainly one of the more exceptional offensive second basemen in this game."

Torres stated that his pending free agency didn't weigh on him. If given the choice, he would prefer to remain a Yankee, envisioning this as the place to ideally finish his career. But with the Yankees prioritizing the re-signing of Soto this offseason, it's uncertain how much financial flexibility they will have if they bring back the superstar. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner has emphasized that the current payroll is unsustainable. Additionally, Torres' market value remains ambiguous after a season of struggles. He could be a candidate for a qualifying offer, allowing the Yankees to extend a lucrative one-year contract that would yield a compensatory draft pick if he signs elsewhere.

Another productive postseason could enhance his market prospects; he has a career 135 wRC+ in the playoffs. Throughout his Yankees career, Torres has consistently managed the pressures of expectations. While he may not have always met them, the only factor that has negatively affected his mindset is the looming possibility of playing for another team in the middle of the year.

"He's definitely mentally strong, mentally tough," Judge said. "You've got to have that trait if you're going to play here in New York."

When Carlos Mendoza, now the manager of the New York Mets , served as the Yankees' bench coach, he held Torres accountable for his mistakes, whether they were errors in the field or missteps on the basepaths. This tough love approach is how Torres learns to improve, he said. Not every player responds positively to being benched multiple times without letting it affect their performance, but Torres believes that this kind of accountability has been crucial for his growth.

Oswaldo Cabrera , one of Torres's closest friends on the team, found it challenging to watch his friend's performance dip to career-worst numbers during the first several months of the season. However, Cabrera was inspired by Torres' commitment to changing the narrative surrounding him in the months that followed.

"Seeing how he turned around the season in the last couple months was so special, seeing the Gleyber that we know," Cabrera said. "That's the Gleyber that every time came to the plate, we know that he's going to do something. The way he showed that the last couple months, he's not done. Everything is not done yet. He shows every time, every plate appearance the things that he can do that was so special for all the team."

For the Yankees to secure a championship in 2024, they will need Torres to maintain his recent performance at the plate. His contributions over the past two months provide ample reason to believe he is regaining the form that both he and the Yankees expected from him this season.

"The first half of the season was not the Gleyber I am," Torres said. "I had a lot of work to do, and I'm feeling good."

(Photo of Gleyber Torres rounding the bases after his two-run homer in Game 1 of the ALDS: Luke Hales / )