Amidst the thrill of high-stakes postseason baseball currently in New York, the 2018 Yankees have already received some good news.
20-year-old infielder Gleyber Torres — the top-ranked prospect in the organization and all of baseball, according to MLBPipeline — is continuing to make progress in his rehab back from season-ending Tommy John surgery on his left elbow. And on Wednesday afternoon, Torres shared a video via Twitter of him swinging off a tee in the batting cage.
“After long months of recovery I can finally hit again and that makes me super happy,” Torres tweeted. “Now let’s keep working and keep improving.”
After long months of recovery I can finally hit again and that makes me super happy. Now let’s keep working and keep improving 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/TYSSEj0Cvo
— Gleyber Torres (@TorresGleyber) October 18, 2017
Torres, who was the centerpiece of a package deal that the Yankees received in exchange for closer Aroldis Chapman during the 2016 trade deadline, was steadily climbing through the minor league ranks this spring. He began the season with Double-A Trenton, and after slashing .273/.367/.496 in 32 games with the club, Torres was promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in late May. In 23 games there, he managed to hit .309 in 81 at-bats, but on June 17, Torres’ year came to a screeching halt, as he broke his elbow on a head-first slide into home plate.
Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman recently told WFAN radio that the organization plans to have Torres begin the 2018 season in the minors, and that his major league debut could possibly be in the cards later in the year.
“I anticipate him, as long as he gets back on track, making his MLB debut at some point when a need arises in 2018,” Cashman said. “I don’t see it happening out of the gate because he hasn’t had a full season at Triple-A.”
Torres is expected to be fully recovered by the start of spring training in mid-February.
