Yankees will take off once Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres return

The Yankees are close to losing the sweepstakes for Manny Machado as he’s likely to be traded on Wednesday to the Dodgers. Despite missing out on the All-Star shortstop the Yankees offense will still dominate in the second half thanks to the returns of Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres.

From the moment the Machado to the Yankees rumors surfaced it never seemed realistic to me that he would be traded to New York. As much as he would have impacted an offense that’s already among the best in the game there was no need for Brian Cashman to trade some of his most prized prospects for a rental like Machado. Especially since the team already has Miguel Andujar at third and Didi Gregorius at shortstop.

What the Yankees offense needs won’t cost them any of their top prospects in any kind of trade at all. All they need is a healthy Gary Sanchez (groin strain) and a healthy Gleyber Torres (bruised hip).

Both are set to return soon and once the Yankees get them back opposing pitching staffs should be very afraid. Sanchez is expected to be back right out of the break this Friday against the Mets and looks ready to go after homering in his first two rehab games with Triple-A Scranton.

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The rookie Torres won’t be far behind as he should be ready to return during next week’s series in Tampa.

Based on production so far this season the Yankees have probably missed the All-Star Torres more than Sanchez, but there’s no doubt they’re just as excited to welcome EL Gary back to the lineup. It’s been an underwhelming season for Sanchez up to this point hitting only .190, but his power numbers are still there (14 HR, 41 RBI) and we all know he’s capable of much more than what he showed in the first half.

His backup Austin Romine has done a fine job in what’s been a breakout season for him, but the Yankees are still a better team with Sanchez behind the plate. Clueless Yankee fans might disagree with that statement claiming Romine is more consistent and the better defensive catcher, but Sanchez’s ability to stop the running game has been missed more than you’d think.

Sanchez’s return will come at the perfect time right out of the break and just a few weeks before August. That’s the month where he has been absolutely unstoppable early in his career with 23 home runs, 47 RBI, and an outstanding .334 batting average. If he’s fully healthy don’t be surprised if Sanchez has another monster August. The numbers may never get to where he wants them to be this season but he still has plenty of time to turn things around and remind everyone why he’s still one of the most dangerous hitters in the game today.

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With Torres’ injury, the Yankees have been smart to handle it with caution because they have the depth to replace him and with the All-Star break there was no need to rush him back. Torres believes he’s ready to go right now and although the Yankees are eager to have him back he’s too important to their future to risk him reaggravating that hip.

Torres was arguably the Yankees offensive MVP in the first half and is the clear front-runner for AL Rookie of the Year. The DL stint may have been a precautionary measure, but in the long run, it will benefit him and the Yankees from here on out.

Sanchez and Torres might not have the name recognition of a Manny Machado just yet but they both have just as much talent and the ability to carry an offense just like the soon to be former Oriole. The Yankees know that and so even though adding Machado would boost their chances to win the AL East just having both Sanchez and Torres should be more than enough to still give them a real shot at it.

The focus needs to be on adding pitching because with a soon to be fully healthy lineup the offense is going to be just fine. They’ll be even better than they were in a first half that has them on track to break multiple single-season slugging records, including the most home runs from any team in history.

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The offense can reach new heights and break records in the second half but the goal is still winning the division. And unless the front-office adds another impact pitcher that 4.5 game deficit behind the Red Sox is going to be hard to make up.

However, that’s not to say it can’t be done just by outslugging teams with an offense that’s about to be whole with Sanchez and Torres back in the fold.