ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Shortly after returning from his two-game mental “reset,” Gleyber Torres spent the past two games before Tuesday getting a physical break.
But the Yankees second baseman returned from his groin tightness to get back in the lineup Tuesday against the Rays, with manager Aaron Boone hoping that the issue is now behind him.
“Hopefully just making sure he’s handling the things he needs to do weight room-wise, training room-wise, just his pregame and making sure he’s getting ready properly,” Boone said before the Yankees’ 5-3 loss at Tropicana Field. “Hopefully it’s not something we have to deal with. And honestly, we’ve avoided a real problem. I think both times it’s cropped up, it’s been fairly minor.”
Torres missed one game last month because of the groin issue then played through it before leaving Friday’s game against the Red Sox when it bothered him legging out an infield single.
Boone kept Torres out of the lineup Saturday and Sunday, combined with Monday’s team off day, to make sure he was fully ready to go Tuesday.
He went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in his return.
“You’re always going to try to govern yourself at certain points, but he should be in a position where he should be able to go,” Boone said. “There’s going to be times where you got to be smart [running], but I feel like strength-wise, maintenance-wise, he should be in a good spot with it.”
Now it is a question of which version of Torres the Yankees are getting back.
The pending free agent has mostly struggled this season but was batting 8-for-26 (.308) in seven games since Boone sat him for back-to-back games.
“It’s been a struggle for him,” GM Brian Cashman said Tuesday. “Sometimes those free-agent walk years can come back and haunt you. I’m not sure if that’s the added pressure that might be weighing him down or holding him back or not.
“Last year he was our second-best hitter behind Aaron Judge and was our best hitter once Judge went down. You know what caliber of player he is. We’re anxiously and hopefully waiting on that, because I know he can have a really positive impact on that lineup.”
Right-hander Clayton Beeter is set to visit with Dr. Keith Meister for another opinion on his shoulder, which has sidelined him at Triple-A since mid-May.
It’s possible Beeter will miss the rest of the season, which would be a hit to the Yankees’ starting pitching depth — or potentially a late-season bullpen weapon.
Coming out of the All-Star break, Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring strain) could be “getting to that point where he’s getting ready to play,” Boone said, not specifying whether that would be rehab games or real games.
Stanton suffered the injury on June 22 and said he hoped to be back in around four weeks, which would be July 20.
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