After Didi Gregorius left the Yankees to sign with the Phillies as a free agent last offseason, Gleyber Torres seemed to be the obvious choice to step into the starting shortstop role for the Yankees and hold onto that title for years to come.
But Torres scuffled in 2020, slashing .243/.356/.368 with just three home runs and 18 RBI in 42 games. He also committed nine errors in 135 chances at short, failing to show enough to keep that spot moving forward.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman joined the YES Network on Thursday night and spoke on a number of topics. On Torres, Cashman admitted that he thinks Torres is better suited at second base, and also offered a reason for why Torres’ numbers were down in 2020.
“I think he can do both. I think he’s a better second baseman than shortstop,” Cashman said. “I think that he can play shortstop. I think that ultimately he struggled in the beginning of the pandemic 60-game season because after spring training one shut down into spring training two, he did not, and I’m not playing the blame game, but he wasn’t in the best shape to start the second spring training, so upon his return from the shutdown, we spent a little bit of the first half playing catch-up. Maybe it was the first 40 or 45 games of the season playing catch-up.
“Once we got him back on line and in shape, you saw towards the last 20 games including the playoffs, the Gleyber Torres we’re used to seeing. I think the season that he had overall isn’t representing what he really is. Its more along the lines of what you saw in the postseason and what you saw the previous year, which anybody would want.
“So, he’s more than capable of playing short, but I acknowledge he’s a better second baseman than a shortstop.”
Where Torres is best suited defensively is an interesting part of the Yankees’ infield puzzle this offseason. Cashman made it clear that the Yankees have prioritized bringing back DJ LeMahieu, who has primarily played second base for the Yankees, though he is versatile enough to play third and first as well.
If LeMahieu returns, Torres would likely stay at shortstop, but there’s always a chance the Yankees could shuffle their infield around, with Gio Urshela able to play different spots as well.
But Torres will still just be 24 years old when next season starts, and the two-time All-Star has shown glimpses of being a budding superstar in the Bronx. He had a down year in 2020, but it’s fair to say the needle is still pointing up for the Yankees’ infielder.