Gleyber Torres only needed a month and a half to stand out at the Double-A level. Perhaps that’s how long the Yankees hope it takes the 20-year-old to stand out in Triple-A, too.
A team source told NJ.com’s Randy Miller on Thursday that the Yankees’ top prospect is being “groomed” to assume the starting third base job later this summer, and if a call-up occurs, it would also result in Chase Headley being demoted to a role as a utility infielder at first and third base.
Torres, who was promoted on May 22, played 32 games with Double-A Trenton, hitting .273 (121 ABs) with five home runs, 18 RBI, 10 doubles, 17 walks, and 21 strikeouts. While the 6-foot-1, 175-pounder is tagged as a shortstop, Torres also played six games at third base and five games at second and didn’t commit one error in the field. While his promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre wasn’t a shock to some, Torres has struggled in his first nine games at the next level. He’s currently hitting .207 (26 ABs) with a double, three RBI, and six walks.
“I’m not looking at Gleyber Torres right now on the major-league side,” Cashman told the NY Daily News last Thursday. “I’m just looking at Gleyber taking the next step at Triple-A Scranton. Just like when we were faced with, ‘Are you going to bring Gleyber up because Didi (Gregorius) is down?’ the answer was, ‘No, we aren’t going to interrupt his player-development process.'”
Taking Headley’s Job?
According to Miller’s report, a big league promotion for Torres wouldn’t boot Headley from the roster, as the team considers him to be a valuable veteran off the bench. But the 33-year-old’s future with the Yankees may be a little more uncertain come 2018, as the source told Miller that Torres could swap positions with second baseman Starlin Castro, while Didi Gregorius remains at shortstop. Regardless, Headley is owed $26 million before his contract expires in the 2018 offseason.
Headley’s first two months this season have been erratic. After a hot April, he entered May hitting .301, but in the last 23 games, Headley’s average has dropped all the way down to .232. To make matters worse, he’s also been a liability on defense, as his nine errors rank worst on the team and second-worst among MLB third basemen.
As long as Headley continues to struggle, he’ll continue to feel the heat, but the big league plan for Torres is of course contingent on his success in the coming weeks.
