The Yankees upgraded significantly at the trade deadline, but they left one of their more polarizing positions unaddressed.
Gleyber Torres — not Trevor Story or Trea Turner — is their shortstop.
The way Torres had been playing recently — a quieter, smoother defense with a bat that had awakened — there was no reason to pursue the Rockies’ Story any more than they did.
The way Torres played Saturday, though, is not how a player rewards that kind of faith from his club.
The Yankees beat the Marlins, 4-2, at loanDepot Park in Miami, but Torres’ day was miserable, low-lighted by what could have been a game-costing mental mistake in the ninth inning.
The Marlins had Brian Anderson on first with one out and the Yankees leading by two runs. Jonathan Loaisiga got the ground ball he was looking for from Lewin Diaz, which could have become a game-ending double play. But Torres, playing on the right side in a shift, tagged Anderson with his glove while the ball was in his throwing hand, then bounced a throw to first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who couldn’t hold on. No outs were recorded, and the Marlins had two on with one out.
Loaisiga pitched out of it, but Torres’ brain cramp might have deserved two errors.
Manager Aaron Boone said the Yankees’ shift made the play a bit trickier and he credited Anderson for avoiding the tag, but Torres should have recorded at least one out.
“He’s trying to kind of strike that balance between being quick and potentially turning a double play still, which he almost did,” Boone said. “You’ve got to make sure you know whether you have the ball in your glove or the ball in your hand.”
His bat did not help him make up for it. Torres went 0-for-5, including a pair of outs with runners in scoring position.
Torres generally has been better both at the plate and in the field, which helped lead to the club improving elsewhere at the deadline.
Before the game, Boone said his shortstop has been “really good” on defense, which is debatable.
“I think he’s gotten better and better as the season has unfolded,” said Boone, whose eye test is more encouraging than the analytics.
While defensive advanced numbers are often suspect, Statcast’s outs above average had Torres as the 31st best shortstop in baseball thus far. Entering play, Torres’ 13 errors tied him for the fourth most at the position in the game.
Yet he has made just one error since July 4 — Saturday’s ninth-inning brain cramp was a fielder’s choice — and has played a more solid defensive game.
He still is not hitting with the same power he had shown in the past, but his July was far better than his April, May and June.
In his past 13 games, he is 13-for-48 with three homers, and Boone said he thinks the July series in Houston was a turning point.
“Once he got through that tough stretch [in June] where he struggled a little bit, I feel like his at-bats have been very good,” Boone said before the game. “He’s obviously hit a few home runs since the All-Star break. Coming out the second half, feel like he’s getting on time better.”
Story is still in Colorado, Turner now is a Dodger, and the Yankees’ first baseman is now Rizzo, who brings four Gold Gloves and the ability to turn potential errors into outs. So maybe that can help, too.
The Yankees hope their improvement at shortstop has occurred more naturally. It didn’t seem that way Saturday.