Gleyber Torres, after a dismal August, looks to be back on track for the Yankees.
It’s September, for baseball this means the postseason is right around the corner. The Yankees are coming off a two-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, at Fenway Park. Additionally, the Aaron Judge one-man Home Run Derby continues to dominate MLB headlines.
The Yankees left Boston with a six-game lead over the second-place Toronto Blue Jays win the American League East. With the playoffs quickly approaching, the Bronx Bombers — winners of their last four straight games, must remain locked in on their goals.
This is the time on the MLB calendar where postseason contenders want to be clicking on all cylinders. The Yankees are getting healthy at the right time, with a one-man wrecking crew in their lineup leading the way, and role players finding their groove.
Gleyber Torres is picking a damn good time to remember how to hit a baseball. In the summer month of August, Torres went ice cold for the Yankees. In 25 games, Gleyber posted a .190 batting average- … a sharp turn from the .292 average he hit for in July. Basically, his offensive production fell off a cliff.
A season-high in strikeouts (33) — along with declines in slugging percentage (.260, down from .458 in July) and on-base percentage (.204, down from .352) made for an even tougher dog days of summer for the 25-year old second baseman.
A 10-18 month of August for the Yankees only placed a more intense magnifying glass on Torres. The Yankees needed someone to help take the load off Judge, Gleyber Day was nowhere to be found.
The return of Gleyber Day
Well, maybe all it took was for the calendar to turn to September. Whatever the reason, and we’re paying close attention now, Torres has found his way with the bat.
The production is up again, moreover, so are the Yankees.
Gleyber, through 11 games played in September, is hitting .261/.320/.478 slash line (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging). He already has 11 runs batted in, up from just five in August.
Additionally, Torres is clearly more comfortable hitting third in the lineup, he is hitting .309 on the season in 13 games. The top half of the lineup is where the Yankees have gotten more bang for their buck from Gleyber.
With fearsome hitters Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton currently holding down the leadoff and number two spots in the lineup, respectively, Torres has taken full advantage.
It’s been a roller coaster ride for Gleyber since his first two promising seasons in pinstripes, 2018 and 2019. With him, the inconsistency, at times, overshadows the talent. It’s also landed him on the wrong side of trade rumors.
Now, with the Yankees in pursuit of clinching their division, the Torres everyone in the Bronx wants to see is currently on full display.
The Yankees only hope Gleyber Day isn’t just back for a cameo appearance, but also for the month of October.
Main Image: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
Anthony Rushing is on Twitter @TonyRushingNY
Baseline Sports NY is on Twitter @Baseline_NY
