BOSTON — Gleyber Torres is finally starting to hit, but the Yankees aren’t going to ask him to change positions — at least not yet.
And Torres didn’t seem too excited about the possibility of such an idea coming to fruition.
Following the Yankees’ acquisition of Jazz Chisholm Jr., who has primarily played second base and center field as a major leaguer, manager Aaron Boone has discussed using Torres at third base, but Boone said he is “a little hesitant” to use him at third base at this time, as the Yankees are expected to give Chisholm his first opportunity to play that position.
After Sunday’s 8-2 win over the Red Sox, Torres acknowledged his conversation with Boone and said he occasionally takes ground balls at third base “to be prepared for anything.”
But when asked if he plans to play primarily as a second baseman for the rest of the season, Torres was candid.
“Yeah, I’m a second baseman. I play second base,” he said.
This confirmed what manager Boone had said earlier in the day: “Gleyber obviously wants to stay at second base.”
“But I think he’s open to going out there and getting some days to work on it and hit some ground balls and get some work in and get a little feel for it,” Boone said.
Torres last played third base in 2018 at Triple-A.
“I don’t like it,” Torres said. “It was just a chance to play in the major leagues early. You just do whatever you can to help the team at that time.”
Chisholm, who is under team control through 2026, could return to second base next season after Torres becomes a free agent.
For now, all the Yankees need is for Torres to continue hitting like he has recently after a terrible start to the year with walks. After giving up a two-run single and drawing two walks on Sunday, Torres is batting .316 over his last 21 games.
Giancarlo Stanton has missed five weeks with a hamstring injury but is expected to return from injured reserve on Monday at Philadelphia.
The biggest question is how the Yankees will make room for him.
They waived J.D. Davis on Sunday and placed him on designated release to make room for Chisholm on the active roster.
Barring other moves, Jamai Jones, Oswaldo Cabrera, Ben Rice and DJ LeMahieu could be left off the roster. Jones hasn’t played a big role on the field, but the Yankees could maintain as much roster flexibility as possible by optioning off Cabrera and Rice despite their offensive contributions.
LeMahieu has struggled the most, but he still has two years and $30 million remaining on his contract after this season, making him a costly option, but with Chisholm expected to play third base and Rice batting better at first base, the veteran could end up on the bench.
“At the end of the day, DJ is a great player and still good enough to compete at every position in the infield,” Boone said. “We’ll see how it goes.”
The Yankees acquired Davis last month after he was designated for assignment from the Athletics as a left-handed pitcher, but he struggled to establish himself, landing on the disabled list with gastroenteritis and appearing in just seven games with a batting average of 2 for 19 (.105) and an OPS of .385.
Matt Blake returned to the Yankees on Sunday after being away for the past three games due to the birth of his first child, a baby girl.
