Inside The Pinstripes

Gleyber Torres Is Proving His Worth To The Yankees With Red-Hot Stretch

New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres has been on fire since returning from the COVID injured list, leading the Yankees to a sweep of the Chicago White Sox

Pat Ragazzo

This just in: New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres is officially back.

Over the weekend, the Yankees swept the Chicago White Sox out of the Bronx and Torres played a huge part in all three games with his clutch bat.

Let’s start with Friday night, where his late-game heroics gave his team a 2-1 victory after a pitcher's duel took place between Jordan Montgomery and Carlos Rodón. Torres stepped to the plate in a scoreless game in the seventh and blasted a solo home run off Michael Kopech to put the Yankees ahead 1-0.

But that’s not all. After the White Sox tied it, Torres responded in the bottom of the ninth by smacking a game-winning walk-off single, propelling his team to a win.

Then on Saturday, Torres decided to run it back. The 24-year-old started off the scoring for the second straight day by ripping a two-run double into the left-center gap to put the Yankees up 2-0.

In the fifth inning, Torres sent a two-run single into left to extend his team’s lead to five. Overall, the shortstop went 3-for-4 with four RBIs in Saturday’s 7-0 route of the Sox.

The Yankees ultimately dropped the hammer to sweep the series on Sunday. And once again, it was Torres, who broke the ice with another two-run base hit to get things going in the first. Torres produced his second straight three-hit game, and finished the series going 8-for-16 with a home run and eight RBIs.

It’s safe to say that Torres is red hot at the plate since coming back from the COVID IL. He has produced multiple hits in four out of five games since his return. This has shot his average up nearly 40 points to .282, with his OPS standing at .729.

After a slow start to the season, Torres has been on fire in the month of May with a .375/.434/.521 slash line, to go along with two home runs and 14 RBIs. In his last seven games, he is 12-for-26 (.462/.481/.731), and in his last 15 contests, Torres is slashing .357/.419/.500.

This is the Gleyber Torres that the Yankees got to know and love from 2018-19. While a poor 60-game campaign in 2020, mixed with a slow start this season, had some individuals questioning whether he was the same player, this past weekend reminded everyone how special he truly is.

If Torres continues to live up to expectations by proving to be the impact bat he once was in his first two seasons with the team, the Yankees will be back up there as one of the top clubs in the American League this season.

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Pat Ragazzo
PAT RAGAZZO

Pat Ragazzo is the reporter, publisher, site manager and executive editor for Sports Illustrated's Mets and Yankees On SI websites. Pat was selected as The Top Reporter & Publisher of the Year 2024 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to the industry. He has been seen on several major TV Network stations including: NBC4, CBS2, FOX5, PIX11 and NY1; and is frequently heard on ESPN New York FM 880 AM and WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM as a guest. Pat also serves as the Mets insider for the "Allow Me 2 Be Frank" podcast hosted by Frank "The Tank" Fleming of Barstool Sports. You can follow him on Twitter/X: @ragazzoreport.

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