After taking a hit to the hand, Gleyber Torres, the second baseman for the New York Yankees, played down the chance of missing any time.
The New York Yankees faced several injury worries prior to the 2024 season, as Gerrit Cole and DJ LeMahieu were placed on the injured list to start the season, and Anthony Rizzo, Aaron Judge, and other players were dealing with health issues during Spring Training.
Two games into the season, two-time All-Star second baseman Gleyber Torres was struck by a fastball on his hand, adding another injury to his history of ailments, but it appears he escaped worse.
Randy Miller of NJ.com stated, “In the Yankees seventh inning, Torres took a 93 mph fastball from Astros reliever Taylor Scott and cut his right thumb.”
In order to avoid arbitration this offseason, Torres signed a one-year, $14.2 million contract with the Yankees. After telling the team he was okay, he took his base and batted second at the bottom of the inning. However, he left the game abruptly, stating that he was concerned that his injured hand might prevent him from turning a double play. Miller pointed out that the discomfort was not becoming worse and that his hand was not swelling.
Miller continued, “Torres went to the ballpark X-rays room after leaving the game.” “There was relief a little while after. No indication of a fracture was present.
But even the smallest injury will be closely watched on a Yankees club hoping to make a run at the postseason following an injury-plagued 2023 — especially with a short infield.
The Yankees’ designated second-base backups are Jon Berti, Oswalda Cabrera, and Jahmai Jones, due to LeMahieu’s injury. However, Berti, who was just acquired, is now Cabrera’s primary backup at third base and may replace Cabrera at shortstop if necessary.
In the event that Torres is ruled out, Berti seems to be the preferred backup.
“This was a crisis averted on all fronts, but Berti starting for Torres might be in the works,” Miller wrote.
Concerns About Juan Soto’s Injuries in the Opening Series Between the New York Yankees and Houston Astros
Juan Soto, the Yankees’ marquee trade acquisition who has helped the team win two games in the opener with Cabrera, suffered another notable illness. While Cabrera has six hits and four RBI in nine at-bats, Soto has started the season with four hits and two RBI in seven at-bats.
Miller claims that following the game, Soto was “completely playing down” what looked to be an ankle tweak. Soto gave his everything to play in the upcoming match.
A Close Eye Will Be on New York Yankees Injuries in 2024.
The Yankees’ early illnesses have received a lot of press, so it seems likely that the team will be plagued by the same injuries that delayed 2023 into 2024. Cole is already missing the start of the season, so there’s excellent cause for this. In a way, though, that’s a nice problem to have because it appears that the only thing keeping this Yankees club out of the postseason is injury.
While the team was in the middle of Spring Training, Patrick McAvoy of Inside The Pinstripes stated, “One of the biggest reasons the club underperformed last season was that New York dealt with a wide range of injuries.”
