One day after failing to run out a late-inning ground ball in a key spot, New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres found himself left off manager Aaron Boone's Wednesday lineup card. The Yankees on Wednesday conclude their two-game series against the cross-town Mets, and Oswaldo Cabrera will be manning Torres' usual position of second base.
In addition to Tuesday's lapse in the Yankees' eventual loss, the 27-year-old Torres hasn't been hitting of late. For the 2024 season, he's batting just .215/.294/.333 with seven home runs in 80 games. That's good for an OPS+ of just 78. Coming into 2024, Torres had a career OPS+ of 114, so this year constitutes a major drop-off for Torres, who's in his walk year. Matters have been even worse of late, as Torres has slashed just .108/.222/.324 over the last two weeks.
Torres explained his failure to run out the ground ball by saying he felt groin discomfort at the time, but Boone said Wednesday that the pain is "nothing that's too significant."
When Boone was asked on Tuesday whether the incident would lead to Torres' being benched, he provided something of an evasive answer (via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch):
"We need him to go. We need him to get going, especially through this stretch. ... We need him to be a presence in the middle of our lineup. We've got to get that out of him."
By Wednesday, that answer was clearer. "I just feel like he needs it," Boone told reporters. He also said that Torres might get "a couple days to reset...mentally, physically."
Boone also allowed that Tuesday night's incident played a role in the decision:
Gleyber Torres not running out the grounder in the 8th was a factor in his benching, Aaron Boone said. “That certainly got my attention.”
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) June 26, 2024
The Yankees come into Wednesday's contest with a record of 52-29 and a two-game lead over the Orioles in the American League East. However, they also come in having lost five of their last six and seven of their last nine, and are now without Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton due to injury. The Mets, meantime, have MLB's best record in June at 14-6.
