Gleyber

Torres

There are a lot of moving parts here, but the biggest takeaway from Gleyber Torres hitting free agency is that New York could wind up shifting Chisholm back across the infield to his former defensive home if they’re unable to bring back Torres or find a suitable everyday option over the course of the offseason. The dynamic 26-year-old performed admirably in his first-ever professional stint at the hot corner and it’s possible he’ll wind up picking up second base eligibility for fantasy purposes next year.

Torres continues to stay hot in these playoffs. He’s hitting .292 with a .933 OPS and three RBI in six games so far. The Yankees jumped on Tanner Bibee early in Game 2 and Torres’ leadoff double was a big part of the first inning rally. Torres, who is set to hit free agency for the first time this offseason, is certainly playing his best in what could be his last games with the Yankees.

Torres started the game with a leadoff double and scored on an RBI single by Juan Soto. In the fifth inning, he drove Alex Verdugo in with a two-out RBI single. Torres hit .200 in the series, but had an .857 OPS with a home run and three RBI. He seemed to be involved in much of the Yankees run scoring over the four games against the Royals.

Torres also drew two walks and scored his second run on a bases-loaded walk to Austin Wells. The second baseman was excellent in September with an .859 OPS, and he’s now off to a strong start in the playoffs.

Torres also scored the winning run on a double in the 10th by Juan Soto, so he bookended the scoring. The 27-year-old has not been a big source of power this year with just 13 homers and 56 RBI, but maybe this blast will lead to a surge to end the season. It’s doubtful, but it’s possible.

More power would be nice, but Torres is batting .290 with a .366 OBP in 123 plate appearances since the beginning of August. That’s why he’s turned into the Yankees’ leadoff man of late, adding a little to his fantasy value.

Torres took Nationals rookie starter Mitchell Parker deep in the opening frame for a tone-setting leadoff homer — his 12th big fly of the season — as part of a multi-hit performance. It’s been a down year offensively for the 27-year-old second baseman, but he’s shown some signs of life recently, batting .298 (17-for-57) with two homers and six RBI over his past 15 contests.

Torres’ bat is starting to come to life a bit in August, going 22-for-76 (.289) with 10 runs scored and seven RBI in 20 games. However, this was his first home run in August and he’s yet to steal a base this month, so we’re still not getting quite the fantasy upside we were hoping for coming into the year.

Torres worked Tarik Skubal for a leadoff walk to start the sixth inning. He moved up to second as Juan Soto walked then took third as Aaron Judge bounced into a double play. Torres then alertly dashed home on a wild pitch by Tarik Skubal, sliding in safely just under the tag of the Tigers’ southpaw. With his 1-for-4 night, Torres is now hitting .237/.311/.349 with 10 homers, 45 RBI and four swipes on the season.

We’re hoping that both Torres and Yankees manager Aaron Boone are in a better place following Friday’s ugly series of events that took place in New York when Torres was benched for disciplinary reasons after failing to run out of the box on a second-inning fly ball to left field. The 27-year-old is back at second base and batting fifth for Saturday afternoon’s matinee at Yankee Stadium.