Yankees: Gleyber Torres’ defense at shortstop is a major problem

The Yankees have a Gleyber Torres problem at shortstop.

Comfort is paramount for the Yankees, especially during Pandemicball. And 17 games in (nearly 1/3 of the season!), Gleyber Torres simply does not look comfortable at shortstop.

New York made a bet on Torres this offseason, and it was a fairly easy decision, even in hindsight. The infield would be uncomplicated as long as the Yanks let Didi Gregorius walk to a “prove it” deal, moved Torres back to his “natural” position at short, installed DJ LeMahieu as the permanent second baseman instead of a roving utility guy, and let Gio Urshela and the first basemen fight it out at the corners.

Easy enough, as long as the 23-year-old Torres was ready to embrace his original position instead of the only regular big league gig he’d ever known.

So far, easier said than done. Torres looks off-kilter in the field, and worse, off-balance at the plate. It doesn’t take a professional psychologist to connect the two.

Earlier in the season, when the Yanks were a blissful 8-1, we still remained preoccupied with Torres. He and Aaron Judge are the keys to this team’s offensive contention for the next decade, after all.

We’ve been watching a different Torres for much of this season, in all respects, excepting his monstrous Sunday in Washington, marked by a massive homer and game-winning single. Up until now, we’ve blamed the errant fastball that struck his inner elbow in Baltimore, lamenting his lack of an off day while the rest of his compatriots rested.

But what if there’s something mental here, too?

Torres’ defensive discomfort was on full display on Tuesday. Not only did he commit his fourth error to begin a two-run eighth, but the mistakes and lack of sure-handedness permeated the area beyond the box score. He nearly threw away the inning-ending grounder after bobbling it a few batters later. He stood frozen in place on a potential double play ball, with Urshela flipping the ball to LeMahieu, standing in the middle of nowhere. He and LeMahieu let the fourth run score as they cut to the same spot on another likely DP, turning easy outs into mush.

At shortstop (and at the plate thus far), Torres’ swagger is gone.

It’s possible that all the 23-year-old needed to adopt this venerated position with the Yankees and make it his own was a full season of preparation, and a normal offseason.

But when we left Yankees baseball in the spring, Torres’ D at short was a clear concern, as routine plays spiraled on him … well, routinely. Now that we’re back in full blush, it seems he’s no closer to embracing the position.

We know Torres was a shortstop while rocketing through the minors. Based on the basics we’ve seen so far, though, it’s quite possible he isn’t anymore.

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