Yankee Stadium gives Gleyber Torres nice ovation despite dismissive pregame comments

Gleyber Torres has a complicated legacy with the New York Yankees, but there's no ill-will between him and the fanbase. Between him and Brian Cashman? That's a different story, as the drama-filled offseason that featured multiple back-and-forths will tell you.

After seven years with the Yanks, Torres departed in free agency this past offseason, and it wasn't on the best of terms. Though Torres is a solid major leaguer, the way he started off his career had everybody shooting for the stars. Unfortunately, after back-to-back All-Star campaigns in 2018 and 2019, Torres never really got back to those heights.

But Yankees fans put that aside on Tuesday night with the Detroit Tigers in town. Torres got back to the Midsummer Classic this year with his new team, and though it was tough to swallow for some fans, most are still happy for the former Yankees second baseman.

Torres stepped into the batter's box in the top of the first inning to a standing ovation at Yankee Stadium. See, guys, Yankees fans aren't so bad after all. They show respect to their guys.

They might've been mostly frustrated with Gleyber from 2020-2024 due to problems with his defense (including his transition back to shortstop) and his wildly inconsistent bat, but he was part of many special moments even if the Yankees didn't conquer their ultimate goal.

Yankees fans give Gleyber Torres nice standing ovation in his return to the Bronx

That said ... Gleyber didn't exactly put himself in the best of positions heading into his return to New York. On Sunday, he was asked if stepping back on the field at Yankee Stadium would be emotional, and here's what he had to say:

“To be honest, I don’t know. Maybe. Who knows? For sure I’m going to see my teammates, it’s going to be fun to play against them. It’s going to be a really good competitive series. But just try to compete, be with the boys, try to win the series and we’ll see about the feelings when I get there.”

It's kind of odd how he'd be that dismissive about this, especially since Yankees fans know very well that he's an emotional player. Seven years is a long time to suggest there might not be feelings attached to this situation. We understand this was a complicated relationship, but Torres' only real beef was seemingly with Cashman. The fans surely criticized him when it was warranted, but they also backed him when he was a big reason for the team's success.

All in all, the offseason beef is hopefully water under the bridge. Torres is in a better place. And so are the Yankees, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second base. As long as everyone's happy, there shouldn't be an issue. And if it comes down to it and we have to settle a winner in the postseason, then so be it.