Gleyber Torres exits with groin tightness in another Yankees concern
Gleyber Torres’ groin issue was used last week as a reason for his lack of hustle on a groundout.
On Friday night, he busted it down the line for an infield single in the fourth inning, but it cost him the rest of the game.
Torres left the Yankees’ 5-3 loss to the Red Sox with “right groin tightness,” the team said. He was examined by a team doctor during the game, and the Yankees said there were no plans for imaging as of Friday night.
The second baseman, who has been mostly playing through the groin tightness over the last few weeks, appeared to be in some discomfort after running through first base on an infield single that loaded the bases in a scoreless game.
After a quick talk with manager Aaron Boone and a trainer, he was replaced by pinch runner Oswaldo Cabrera.
“Similar to what he had a couple weeks ago,” Boone said. “Doesn’t seem too significant.”
Torres had sat for two games last week with Boone feeling like he needed a mental “reset” after struggling at the plate for most of the season.
In six games since, he was batting 7-for-24 with a home run and four RBIs.
Aaron Judge won’t get much rest during the All-Star break, but Boone is giving him a midseason break of sorts.
Boone said Friday that Judge will get “a lot” of action at designated hitter while Giancarlo Stanton is out with a hamstring injury, using this stretch to help preserve the center fielder’s body while he continues to terrorize opposing pitchers.
“Just a chance to give him a little bit of a physical blow in the middle of the season,” Boone said Friday before the game.
Judge started at DH on Friday for the fifth time in the last six games after starting there 13 times through the first 84 games of the season. He has started 62 games in center field, and had been DHing once or twice a week when Stanton was healthy.
But until Stanton returns, potentially later this month, the Yankees plan to use Judge more heavily at DH with Trent Grisham expected to see more action in center field.
”I think right now with Stanton being out, getting a chance to mix in there and keep me out of center field — whatever gives us the best lineup, to be honest,” Judge said. “If you’re getting a Gold Glover in center field, we gotta do that. So I’m all good with it.”
Boone said he spoke with Grisham about his error in center field on Thursday, when his nonchalant approach to a ground ball led to a bobble that allowed Jeimer Candelario to pick up an extra base on him.
”Just understanding that, especially when you go through these things, it’s a bad look,” Boone said. “But at the same time, one of the reasons he’s a Gold Glove center fielder is because of his heartbeat, the reads, the jumps, the ease with which he plays the position. You don’t want to lose that in there. But with that, just be mindful of certain routine things.”
The Yankees are by no means burners on the bases, but they have not stolen a base over their last 18 games, including Friday nigth, going 0-for-4 in that stretch.
”Through this few-week stretch, we’ve been down a lot two, three, four runs — not real conducive for a team like us to just start running certain guys,” Boone said. “We’re going to look for spots, but I don’t want to run into outs because we gotta run when maybe it’s not the right matchup or personnel.”
The Yankees have stolen 37 bases this season, which was the second-fewest in the majors entering Friday.
Jon Berti (calf strain) took batting practice and ground balls at third base before Friday’s loss, staying on track to start a rehab assignment shortly after the All-Star break.
“As we’re ramping up, it’s been feeling good,” said Berti, who estimated he was running at around 75 percent. “Excited to build on it.”