Yankees' Gleyber Torres Reinstated From Injured List

New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres has been reinstated from the injured list, returning from a rehab assignment to play against the Baltimore Orioles

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The rich just keep getting richer.

The Yankees reinstated shortstop Gleyber Torres from the 10-day injured list on Friday afternoon, the team announced.

Torres landed on the IL on August 9 with a sprained left thumb, and will now rejoin the team for the start of their homestand, kicking things off against the lowly Baltimore Orioles.

In Torres’ absence, infielders Andrew Velazquez and Tyler Wade filled in amicably. And after Gio Urshela returned from his IL stint last week, Wade went back to the bench.

As for Velazquez, he replaced Torres, as the Yankees’ everyday shortstop. The Bronx native slashed .228/.241/.386 with one home run and six RBIs in 22 games. He also came up with some clutch hits for the Bronx Bombers during his time as a starter.

Now, with Torres’ return, the Yankees are keeping Velazquez around with the arrival of September 1 call-ups, as rosters officially expanded from 26 to 28 players. Fortunately for Velazquez, this opened up an extra spot for him.

New York elected to send outfielder Estevan Florial back to Triple-A to make room for Torres on the active roster Friday.

Prior to tonight’s game, the Yankees made the following roster moves:
• Returned from rehab and reinstated INF Gleyber Torres (#25) from the 10-day injured list.
• Optioned OF Estevan Florial to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 3, 2021

While the hope is, that Velazquez can continue to provide a spark off the bench for the Yankees, his role will be significantly cut down.

Regarding Torres, he has arguably endured the most disappointing season of any Yankee, slashing .253/.328/.351 with an anemic .679 OPS. He has also yet to find his power stroke, with just six home runs and 42 RBIs.

However, prior to his thumb injury, Torres was red-hot at the plate in August, hitting .393/.387/.536 with four extra-base hits and five RBIs in 28 at-bats.

If Torres’ hot-hitting can carry over from his time on the shelf, it will only add another big bat in a Yankees’ lineup that has finally found their footing in the second half of the season.

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