ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Gleyber Torres returned to the Yankees’ lineup on Wednesday, when he was activated from the 10-day DL.
“I played a couple of [minor league] games and didn’t feel anything and I am ready to play,’’ said Torres, who played in three minor league rehab games for Single-A Tampa.
He went 0-for-3, walked, scored a run and struck out twice in Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Rays.
Torres hadn’t played in a big-league game since July 4, when he left a game against the Braves with a strained right hip. To make room for the right-handed-hitting All-Star second baseman, the Yankees optioned utility infielder Tyler Wade to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
In 63 games, Torres was hitting .294 with 15 homers and 42 RBIs when injured. He adds the kind of muscle to the Yankees’ lineup that Neil Walker, Brandon Drury and Wade didn’t filling in.
Torres, 21, said there were a few occasions this year when he felt the hip problem but didn’t say anything. Then it got to the point where he did.
“Sometimes you don’t say nothing, but after I felt it a couple of more times I told the trainer,’’ said Torres, who batted fifth against the Rays.
Wade started three games at second with Torres out and another at short and had a 3-for-5 game on July 11 against the Orioles that included his first big-league homer.
Noting that Wade can play second, short, third and the outfield in a pinch as well as pinch-run, Boone said the Yankees are seeing the value of having a player with that versatility.
Center fielder Aaron Hicks was out of the starting lineup for the second straight game due to a sore left shoulder he hurt sliding into second base on the final play of Monday night’s game against the Rays.
“It felt weak,’’ Hicks said of the shoulder when he woke up Tuesday.
That didn’t stop the switch-hitter from taking BP on Tuesday, and Wednesday he said, “I feel a lot better.’’
Hicks said that, if needed, he was available on Wednesday, and he hit for Walker in the seventh and stayed in the game as the DH and went 0-for-2. Afterward, he said he was OK.
Hicks is in a 15-game slump that started on July 3. Since then he is hitting .143 (7-for-49) with two homers and six RBIs. For the season, Hicks is hitting .240 with 16 homers and 44 RBIs and an .812 OPS.
Brandon Drury had a wrap on his left wrist after getting hit there by a pitch Tuesday night. X-rays taken during the game were negative.
“It’s sore but it’s better,’’ said Drury, who stated he was available to play Wednesday.
Boone said he will check with Drury daily but didn’t sound like the infielder was an option Wednesday unless things got weird.
“He is better today, so it’s a day-to-day situation,’’ Boone said of Drury, who was hit on the left elbow in spring training. “In an emergency situation I think he is available. It doesn’t look like a DL thing so that is good.’’
Even though he has Luis Severino, CC Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka and Sonny Gray as established big-league starters, Cashman was asked on a conference call Wednesday if he had thought about going the route of the Rays, who often use relievers to open games.
“The only thing we’re considering is trying to find a way to, first and foremost, win the division and then if not make sure we punch a ticket to the postseason by the only other way, which is the wild card,’’ Cashman said. “We have not talked about anything other than finding a way to make sure we get ourselves into the postseason and preferably by the division. So we haven’t had any of those types of talks.’’
Third-base coach Phil Nevin will miss Thursday night’s game against the Royals at Yankee Stadium to attend to a personal matter in California.
Nevin might be giving up No. 53 when Zach Britton joins the Yankees on Thursday. Britton wore 53 with the Orioles.
