Nothing seems like it will slow down Gleyber Torres, not even a little pain in his wrist.
Even as the New York Yankees shortstop has received treatment for a wrist injury, his home run production hasn’t slowed down already matching his season total of nine from last season over the weekend. A home run in Sunday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Rays moved him into fourth on the team in home runs this season and marked his second of the series.
He had four total over the previous week, two of which came on Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles and the other two coming in games against the Rays.
“First of all, I feel good,” Torres told reporters over the weekend. “I feel like I’m having a really good plan and discipline when I’m at the plate. Preparing before the game, that is huge for me. Just try to be good at the plate and do damage when I get the opportunity.”
It’s a big shift for Torres who has struggled offensively over the past few seasons. His ability to hit the long ball fell far short last season when he hit just nine over 127 games and three in the COVID shortened 2020 campaign.
Torres had hit a combined 62 home runs during his first two seasons in the Bronx before the drop-off the last two years. Now the Bombers shortstop has shown no signs of slowing down and the team doesn’t appear to be too concerned with his wrist.
“He’s been getting some treatment for his wrist, but it hasn’t been something that’s really affected him much at all in the game,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Just something he’s treating and making sure he does maintenance work on it.”
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What’s been more encouraging for the Yankees has not just been that the home runs have been finally coming for Torres, but because of how hard he has been hitting the ball. Heading into Tuesday’s series opener with the Los Angeles Angels, Torres had a career-best 92.7 mph exit velocity that was in the top 5% of the league and a hard-hit percentage of 48.8.
“The home runs are going to come and go, and sometimes they happen in bunches,” Boone said. “I think what we’ve seen to this point is just a better quality of contact throughout the season. His lower half’s been better in getting himself into better and stronger positions more consistently. That’s allowing him to get off some really good swings.”
