NEW YORK – After a terrible performance in the Subway Series opener, slumping second baseman Gleyber Torres was benched by New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone on Wednesday night.
Oswaldo Cabrera made his third start of the season at second as the Yankees faced the New York Mets at Citi Field. Boone said he planned to give Torres a few days off “just to reset.”
The Yankees begin a four-game series at AL East rival Toronto on Thursday evening.
“It just felt like he needed it,” Boone said. “I just think he’s too important, and a guy that I’m sure will get going. But it was a grind. It was a struggle. I think he feels that a little bit. I think hopefully it’s is something that will serve him well – mentally, physically – to just exhale and then work to get him going because when he goes, as we’ve all seen him go, he’s just a really important one part of the line-up.
Torres started the day hitting .215 with seven home runs, 29 RBIs and a .628 OPS – well below his career marks of .262 and .773. The two-time All-Star has committed 12 errors, three more than any other second baseman in the major leagues.
‘He’s made too many mistakes. Those mistakes are certainly part of the story of his season so far,” Boone said.
But according to Boone, they are not injury related.
“He’s good. I mean, he came out with a little groin problem, hip, but it’s nothing major,” the manager said.
Torres had a particularly rough night on Tuesday as the struggling Yankees, still leading the AL East after losing seven of nine, lost 9-7 to their crosstown rivals.
Cleaning up the at-bat, he struck out swinging in the first inning with the bases loaded and no outs — the first of three consecutive strikeouts that allowed Mets starter David Peterson to escape the inning unscathed.
With the infield playing in, Torres let a grounder get under his glove on an error that helped the Mets score three runs in the sixth. And after Aaron Judge’s grand slam brought the Yankees within two runs in the eighth, Torres didn’t run hard on his groundout that ended the inning.
“That’s definitely one of the things that caught my attention,” Boone said.
Torres finished 0 for 4 with a walk and two strikeouts. Boone said when he went to bed Tuesday night, he initially had Torres in Wednesday’s starting lineup. But the manager changed his mind after he woke up and called Torres to tell him he would be on the bench.
Torres respected the decision, Boone said.
“Hopefully something like this will serve him well,” Boone said.
Torres, 27, had started 78 of New York’s first 81 games at second base this season. He can become a free agent after the World Series.
“We haven’t specifically talked about this weighing on him,” Boone said. “He’s been such a consistent offensive performer throughout his career that he’s struggled to get into that good role. I think I feel like he’s weighing on him, especially the last few days. So that’s kind of my thought process about why now.”
From his vantage point in the dugout, Boone thinks he’s seeing a mechanical flaw in Torres’ swing lately.
“I’ll leave that up to him and the guys,” Boone said. “The thing is, he worked really hard. But sometimes a little mental blow can go a long way.
“Sometimes I think that just sitting and watching can also be an advantage. Being outside the arena, outside the action, to have a view of the game from a distance can benefit an everyday player.”
