Yankees bench Torres for Subway Series finale – Trentonian

New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres throws the ball to first baseman Ben Rice to strike out Cedric Mullins of the Baltimore Orioles during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

NEW YORK – After a terrible performance in the Subway Series opener, struggling 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 when the Yankees faced the New York Mets at Citi Field. Boone said he planned to give Torres a few days off “to sort of reorient himself.”

The Yankees begin a four-game series at AL East rival Toronto on Thursday night.

“I just felt like he needed it,” Boone said. “I just think he’s too important and a guy that I’m confident will get going. But it’s been a tough battle. It’s been a battle. I think he feels that a little bit. I think it’s hopefully something that’s going to do him good – mentally, physically – to just take a breather and then work on getting him going. Because when he’s in shape like we’ve all seen him, he’s just a really important part of the lineup.”

Torres began the day with a .215 batting average, seven home runs, 29 RBIs and an OPS of .628 – well below his career marks of .262 and .773. The two-time All-Star made 12 errors, three more than any other second baseman in the major leagues.

“He made too many mistakes. Those mistakes are certainly part of his story so far this season,” Boone said.

However, according to Boone, they are not injury-related.

“He’s fine. I mean, he has a little groin problem and a hip problem, but it’s nothing serious,” 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 games, fell 9-7 to their cross-town rivals.

Hitting fourth in the first inning with the bases loaded and no outs, he swung wide – the first of three consecutive strikeouts that allowed Mets starter David Peterson to get out of the inning unscathed.

As the infield got going again, Torres let a grounder get under his glove, an error that helped the Mets score three runs in the sixth inning. And after Aaron Judge’s grand slam brought the Yankees within two runs in the eighth inning, Torres didn’t run hard on his inning-ending groundout.

“That’s certainly one of the things that caught my attention,” Boone said.

Torres finished the game 0 for 4 with one walk and two strikeouts. Boone said when he went to bed Tuesday night, he initially had Torres in the starting lineup for Wednesday. But the manager changed his mind after he woke up and called Torres to tell him he would be on the bench.

Torres respects the decision, Boone said.

“Hopefully something that will serve him well in some way,” Boone said.

Torres, 27, started 78 of New York’s first 81 games this season as a second baseman. He will be eligible to become a free agent after the World Series.

“We haven’t talked specifically about it being a burden on him,” Boone said. “He’s been such a consistent offensive player his whole career that he’s having a hard time getting into shape. I think it’s a burden on him – especially the last few days. So that’s just my thought process as to why that’s the case now.”

From his vantage point on the team’s bench, Boone believes he’s noticed a mechanical flaw in Torres’ swing lately.

“I’ll leave that up to him and the hitters,” Boone said. “I mean, the thing is, he’s worked really hard. But sometimes a little mental hit can go a long way.”

“Sometimes I think it can be beneficial to just sit and watch. Not being in the arena, not being in the thick of the action and watching the game from afar can be beneficial to a regular player.”