Yankees feel Gleyber Torres ‘close’ to breakout after another home run

If the Yankees are going to parlay this week’s opportunity against the lowly Athletics into something more, then here was the formula to how, showing up twice in the middle innings of a 10-5 victory on Tuesday.

On a night where Aaron Judge went hitless in his return from a hip injury yet drove in two runs, it was the middle of the order behind him that carried the day, and Gleyber Torres who played a starring role, singling in a run before driving in two with a fifth-inning bomb to left field.

If a hit streak that has now reached five games, with home runs in two straight against Oakland, is an indication that Torres is turning a corner after a harsh two weeks to finish April, then that is welcome and badly needed news in The Bronx.

“And,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone added, “I still feel like he’s getting there.

“He’s kinda getting his hits a little bit. Obviously the last two nights, a couple homers. I feel like he’s close in a lot of ways.”

In all but two games this season — the first two games of the season — in which he has started, Torres has hit in the batting order’s top five.

Those spots in the order are crucial to protecting Judge, something the Yankees have far too often failed to do effectively since the 2022 All-Star break.

This week, there has been a note of a far more effective Torres, who turned on Drew Rucinski’s first-pitch sinker and sent it into the left-field seats to break Tuesday’s contest open.

Two innings prior, Torres had gotten himself in on a hit parade that followed consecutive walks to Jose Trevino and Aaron Hicks before Judge reached on an error, scoring Trevino.

This was the prototypical situation in which the Yankees needed to back up their MVP.

Torres, and Anthony Rizzo before him, both delivered, producing RBI singles.

To Boone, this is encouraging. But he sees more in the well.

“For hitters, it’s just about getting into that strong position all the time,” Boone said. “And when Gleyber does that, his swing is such that he’ll start squaring it up all over the yard. And I feel like he’s getting there, but I also feel like in a way, he’s not all the way there, which is exciting to see.”

So, nobody is getting carried away here, and for good reason.

A handful of games is little compared to the drop in production Torres saw in the second half of 2022, or even the lacking two weeks he played to finish April.

But this is what the Yankees need to see from Torres. And for the moment at least, he is delivering.