Late Monday night Gleyber Torres was spotted with an ice pack attached to his right shoulder following a 4-2 Yankees win over the Nationals.
Was Torres treating a problem that caused him to experience the first slide of his brief big-league career?
“I think he kind of slept on it funny a couple of nights ago. He is fine. He said he feels good,’’ manager Aaron Boone said of his second baseman, who was in the lineup and hitting sixth against the Mariners on Tuesday night, but did not take batting practice on the field.
“I have been looking to get him a day off at some point and this didn’t cause me to expedite that day off. It’s just something that he is maintaining.’’
The last time the 21-year-old Torres didn’t start was May 27 against the Angels.
From April 22 through the first game of a June 4 doubleheader, Torres hit .323 (40-for-124) with a .989 OPS, 10 homers and 28 RBIs. He struck out 32 times and walked 10 times (once intentionally).
Since the second game of that twinbill in Detroit, Torres has been in a funk at the plate. In 13 games going into Tuesday night’s game at Yankee Stadium, Torres was batting .191 (9-for-47) with a .629 OPS, three homers, six RBIs, had 18 strikeouts and two walks (one intentionally).
Torres, who is running second to Astros second baseman Jose Altuve in the AL All-Star voting by a wide margin, isn’t the only Yankee rookie infielder gone cold at the plate.
From June 5-18, a stretch of 11 games, third baseman Miguel Andujar hit .231 (9-for-39) with a .722 OPS. Andujar was second to the Indians’ Jose Ramirez in the third-base voting.
If Brett Gardner’s right knee responded to treatment and didn’t bother him hitting in the cage before Tuesday night’s game, there was a chance Boone would use the outfielder as a pinch-hitter.
“We will see. I think it’s realistic,’’ Boone said of Gardner returning to the starting lineup Wednesday night after not playing since Saturday due to the inflamed hinge. “I actually believe he might be an option [Tuesday night].’’
Boone started Clint Frazier in left field Tuesday.
“It’s better today,’’ Gardner said. “I am going to hit and do some running. I am available tonight and hopefully back in the lineup [Wednesday]. I have never had an issue with my legs. Not being able to run affects both sides. At this point in the season you don’t want to make it worse.’’
Boone didn’t put too much stock in split-screen picture comparisons of Giancarlo Stanton’s closed stance, which some believe he has altered and opened up a bit.
“Sometimes different camera angles can make it seem different than it is. I don’t think there is much difference at all,’’ Boone said of Stanton, who was hitting .252 with 16 homers, 39 RBIs and an .811 OPS entering Tuesday night’s game.
“Having said that, guys tweak things all the time that are sometime slightly visible to the eyes and sometimes they are not. I know the story line is going to be around his stance. I think the stance is fairly irrelevant. The reality is that when he switched to that closed-off [stance] he had as good a run as we have seen in a long, long time. For me it’s always about him being on time and in that hitting position, consistently. When he does that he is Giancarlo Stanton.’’
Two areas Stanton could improve on are hitting right-handers and hitting in The Bronx.
Entering Tuesday night’s action Stanton was hitting .218 (43-for-197) with eight homers, 21 RBIs and a .685 OPS against right-handers. With a lefty pitching Stanton was batting .348 (24-for-69) with eight homers, 18 RBIs and a 1.173 OPS.
Stanton was looking to improve on a .212 (29-for-137) batting average at home on Tuesday night. He had seven homers, 19 RBIs and a .683 OPS compared to a .295 (38-for-129) average on the road where he had nine homers, 20 RBIs and a .947 OPS.
