New York Yankees: Weighing the Yankees shortstop options after Didi Gregorious goes on DL
By Alex Jordan
New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorious is on the disabled list with a left heel contusion. Who should play shortstop while he is out?
The New York Yankees put shortstop Didi Gregorius on the 10-day disabled list due to a left heel contusion on Tuesday. The Yankees recalled first baseman Luke Voit from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to fill Gregorius’ spot on the roster.
Gregorius got hurt in the first inning of Sunday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays when he collided with Blue Jays first baseman Kendrys Morales while trying to beat out an infield single. He remained in the game and scored a run and eventually left the game. Manager Aaron Boone told Cole Harvey of ESPN that they hope Didi’s time on the DL is short:
“The hope is that’ll be a short stint. But the next couple of days will really tell us the picture. He’s better today than he was [Monday].”
Losing Didi is a huge blow to the Yankees. He is the third big star and power hitter to go on the disabled list, joining Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez. The Yankees are now missing players who account for 31 percent of their home runs this season.
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While Didi isn’t expected to out for a long time, who should play shortstop while he’s out? Let’s take a look at the Yankees options.
Boone said on Sunday that Torres would move over to shortstop while Gregorius is out. The Yankees manager has described Torres as a shortstop playing second base because of his strong arm and ability to cover ground.
Torres is a natural shortstop since he mostly played shortstop in the minors.He has played 27 innings at short for the Yankees.Torres told Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News that he would play whatever position the Yankees need him to play.
“I am very comfortable in both positions. Right now second base is my position, I feel really good. To me, it’s really important to help my team,” Torres said. “If I get the opportunity to play shortstop, I do the same thing, try to be focus, do my job and help my team.”
Torreyes can play pretty much any position in the infield. He played short last year while Didi was on the DL and did very well, hitting .313 with a .746 OPS. However Boone said that Torreyes will play second while Didi is out.
I don’t think Torreyes will mind being at second instead of shortstop because he just wants to help the team any way he can. He told Mandy Bell of MLB.com:
“I just want to keep doing what I’ve been doing for this team. Being there for the team in any way possible, being there for my teammates, bringing a little bit of energy and joy to the clubhouse and team, but that’s it. That’s something that I’ve been doing since I got here … and I just want to be able to continue to do that.”
Walker will be playing second along with Torreyes while Gregorius is out. He has played well since the second week of July but is only hitting .225 on the season. Giancarlo Stanton‘s injury forced Walker to play right field.
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So who should fill in for Didi? I think that Torres should be the guy that fills in for Didi. Torres is the best choice because he is a natural shortstop. While Torres has struggled in the second half of the season he is 6 for 15 in his last 15 at bats, which is better than when he returned from his hip injury and went 10-66.
Torres should be able to pick up the production that the Yankees offense will lose without Didi better than the other options and that’s why he should play short while Gregorius is out.