The Yankees need to recall Gleyber Torres to the Bronx

Considering their lofty expectations coming into 2018, the Yankees are off to an unfathomably bad start at 6-7 coming into the series in Detroit. While fingers can be pointed, and excuses can be made, the reality is that this team is underperforming mightily and someone needs to step up. Two particular holes in the current lineup are second and third base. Neil Walker has turned out to be a serviceable addition due to his veteran presence, but with the Yankees multitude of injuries, he has been having to play all over the diamond and has not really been the starting second baseman. However, the man who has been garnering a majority of the at-bats at second base, Tyler Wade, has been almost an automatic out at the position. At third base, Brandon Drury is sidelined to his blurred vision issues, and Miguel Andújar has proven to everyone why conclusions cannot be drawn from spring training. With both of these positions underperforming, the Yankees must do something about it. 

 

Photo Credit: FanRag Sports

Wade came up last season following a series of Starlin Castro injuries and was not solid by any means. He hit .155/.222/.224 and looked overmatched, however, he was a .300 hitter at the Triple-A level, and his versatility and speed made him an extremely enticing candidate to break camp with the Yankees. Inconsistent at-bats and rookie jitters were used as the blame for Wade’s struggles, as he was simply not the same player at the major league level as he was at Triple-A. After an offseason of working with Albert Pujols and a solid spring statistically, Wade not only made the team, but was going to essentially be the starting second baseman.

To the surprise of many, Wade has performed worse in 2018 than he did during his horrendous 2017 sample size. Given it has only been 31 at-bats, it might be unfair to judge Wade this early, but his presence in the lineup has been detrimental to the Yankees’ offense. Wade is slashing .097/.176/.161 and has had his fair share of hiccups in the field including a poor throw home in the Boston series, which led to a run and big inning.

Personally, I am very high on Wade’s skillset, as I have written on him in the past, and still believe he has not proven what he is capable of on all sides of the ball, but with the team struggling, the Yankees eventually have to make a move. His struggles fell into the shadows due to Stanton and Sanchez’s recent woes, but with both hitters heating up, he is no longer able to hide is dismal stats. So, what do the Yankees need to do? They must recall their number one prospect Gleyber Torres.

Photo Credit: NY Post

For Torres, it has never been about his ability. He was highly-rated with the Cubs and has played exceptionally since he came over from the Chicago organization. His injury he sustained sliding into home last season, set-back his major league time table, due to the long recovery associated with Tommy John Surgery. There were rumblings that Torres could break camp, even after missing a massive amount of games last season, but in consensus with most Yankee fans, Torres started the year in Scranton to garner at-bats and get his stride back.

Torres has absolutely been crushing the ball in Scranton. Through seven games and 29 at-bats, Torres is slashing .370/.379/.556 with a triple and a home run. While these numbers would not necessarily directly translate in pinstripes, Torres would be an incredible upgrade over Wade’s poor offensive output. Torres could not only aid the scorecard, but also be a spark for a team that has not been illustrating the swagger and looseness that made them so fun to watch in 2017. 

Torres could also play third base, while Drury is sidelined, and would be also be a huge upgrade over Miguel Andújar who hasn’t exactly stole the show offensively, .107/.133/.107 in 28 at-bats. Andújar has a higher offensive ceiling than Wade, but he has been a key contributor to the Yankees’ lackluster offensive play. His discipline and ability to work counts have not been stellar, and they are reflected in his numbers. Wade and Andújar could both benefit for some extended play in the lower pressure environment of Scranton, but with Drury sidelined, one of them has to stay on the big league roster.

Regardless of where he plays, Torres needs to be recalled and one of Wade or Andújar needs to be sent down. The Yankees seemingly want to keep him down for long enough in order to gain an extra year of control, despite Yankees GM Brian Cashamn's claims that winning games matters most, but once that date hits, there is absolutely no reason Gleyber Torres should still be referred to as a minor league baseball player.

Article by: Ryan Thoms

Follow @RyanThoms_ Follow @BronxBomberBall