Gleyber Torres Exchanged Words With Yankees' Skipper After Being Benched

Aaron Boone and Gleyber Torres of the New York Yankees look to have gotten into an argument after Torres was benched.

Aug 2, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Brian Serven (15) tags out New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) trying to score on a base hit by Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (not pictured) during the second inning at Yankee Stadium. / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

It's been a rough year for Gleyber Torres during his contract season with the New York Yankees.

Torres, who was once viewed as an important part of this team, has struggled in unprecedented ways.

At times he has been criticized for not hustling on the field, but as a whole, he hasn't produced enough offensively as he has for most of his career. He's currently slashing .231/.306/.357 with an OPS+ of 86. His OPS+ and other statistics would be the lowest of his career if it continues.

Friday night might've been the breaking point for manager Aaron Boone and the Yankees. Torres hit a ball off the wall, but instead of running out of the box and trying to get to second, he decided to watch it as he thought he hit a home run.

The ball hit off the left field wall and was a long single.

Gleyber singles off the wall pic.twitter.com/y6HA1S2CAm

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 3, 2024

Right after, he was thrown out at home plate on an Anthony Volpe hit trying to score from first base. If he had been on second, like he should've been, New York would've tied the game in the bottom of the second inning.

Boone decided to bench him for what he did. It's one thing to play poorly, but not hustling out of the box is inexcusable. Factor in just how bad he's been for most of the year, and he simply can't be doing things like this.

His comments about not wanting to play third base in recent weeks have also been very concerning, as he should be doing whatever it takes to help the team win.

Torres and Boone were later seen having an exchange during the game, looking like there was some sort of an argument going on between the two.

Gleyber Torres and Aaron Boone engage in a discussion in the dugout before being taken out of tonight's game. pic.twitter.com/LpTNMRg7NH

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 3, 2024

After the game, Boone told reporters that he felt like he had to make a move to pull Torres after what transpired. The skipper hopes it can be a learning moment for the infielder.

Torres was also very apologetic when speaking with the media after the incident as well.

“I feel very sorry for what I did tonight, especially for the fans and to my teammates. I’m a human being. I made an error," Torres said, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.

The following day, Boone penciled Torres back in the Yankee lineup, and credited him for how he handled his benching on Friday night. The manager also mentioned how the slugger is a big part of their team.

The chances of the Yankees re-signing Torres seemed unlikely, considering their situation with Juan Soto and some other pending free agents. But with the way this season has played out for the 27-year-old, the probability of his departure has seemingly increased.

Perhaps this could be the situation that gets him going, as sometimes, players just need to be put in their place. He's been too good for too long and a professional along the way, which makes some of this even more surprising.