Yankees: With Didi Gregorius Back, Ronald Torreyes Still Has Key Part to Play
By Tim Haberin
The return of Didi Gregorius will reduce Ronald Torreyes’ playing time, but the utility infielder should still see his share of opportunities to help the Yankees.
New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius was activated from the disabled list today and is expected to be in the lineup for the first of a three-game set against the Orioles at Yankee Stadium. While the team will be glad to have Gregorius’ bat and glove back in the fold, his return raises some questions. Namely, how will it affect the role of backup infielder Ronald Torreyes?
The Yankees could not have asked Torreyes to do a much better job filling in for Gregorius as he recovered from the shoulder injury he suffered in the World Baseball Classic. The 24-year-old has slashed .308/.308/.431 with a home run and 13 RBI in 65 plate appearances. He’s been a surprising sparkplug for the Yankees offense, always hustling and consistently putting the ball in play.
To illustrate that point, although Torreyes has yet to draw a walk in 2017, he also has only six strikeouts. He doesn’t waste time at the plate and generally makes things happen. For instance, he went 2-for-3 last night against Chris Sale – and saw only four pitches. Torreyes’ style of play has quickly turned him into a fan favorite among the Yankee faithful.
Under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t consider taking Torreyes out of the lineup right now. But Gregorius really seemed to come into his own as a big league shortstop last season, and the Yanks are eager to see what he does for an encore. In 2016, Gregorius slashed .276/.304/.447 over 153 games. His uptick in power and run production was an especially surprising development, as he knocked 20 homers and drove in 70 runs, both career highs.
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While advanced metrics don’t necessarily paint the best picture of Gregorius’ defense (-9 defensive runs saved last year), he routinely shows off his strong arm and athleticism at the shortstop position. Still just 27 years old and under team control through 2019, the Yankees view Gregorius as an asset, even with top prospect Gleyber Torres making noise.
Fortunately, Torreyes can handle multiple positions around the field, and his versatility will be his ticket to maintaining playing time. Aside from shortstop (33 games), he also has experience at second (18 games) and third base (41 games). He’s even made a couple appearances in right field.
Joe Girardi loves to give all his players – particularly the veterans – periodic days of rest. Torreyes makes that a lot easier. The skipper can confidently pencil him in at second when he wants to offer Starlin Castro a breather, or at the hot corner to spell soon-to-be 33-year-old Chase Headley.
Likewise, the club might want to ease Gregorius back into the action, allowing Torreyes a few more starts at shortstop in the coming weeks. He could even see a chance or two in the outfield, especially if Brett Gardner continues to struggle.
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Given all the nicks and bruises that are part of your average MLB season, there should still be plenty of at bats for Torreyes throughout the summer. Most successful teams have that multi-purpose utility guy who can fill in competently when called. The Yankees have seen many over the years, names like Randy Velarde, Luis Sojo and Miguel Cairo. Perhaps Torreyes will be the next in that line.