Yankees Reveal Leadoff Hitter for Opening Day
Gleyber Torres will handle leadoff spot duties for the Yankees on Opening Day against the Houston Astros.
By Jovan Alford
The New York Yankees will open up the 2024 regular season on Thursday against the Houston Astros. The Yankees have high expectations this season after acquiring star slugger Juan Soto and adding Marcus Stroman to the starting rotation.
However, the Yankees are dealing with two significant injuries to ace Gerrit Cole and third baseman DJ LeMahieu, which could complicate things.
LeMahieu was the Yankees’ leadoff hitter for parts of last season as he slugged .235 with eight home runs and 21 RBI at the top of the lineup. With the veteran third baseman sidelined with a foot injury, New York must lean on someone else to set the table for the offense.
Yankees News: Gleyber Torres to Hit Leadoff Against Astros
Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reported on Wednesday that veteran infielder Gleyber Torres will be in the leadoff spot for Opening Day against the Astros.
Gleyber Torres will be the Yankees' leadoff hitter tomorrow vs. Framber Valdez.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 27, 2024
The 27-year-old Torres is coming off an impressive Spring Training, hitting .356 with three home runs, four doubles, and seven RBI in 17 games. Last season, the veteran second baseman slashed .273/.347/.453 with 25 home runs and 68 RBI.
Torres hit predominantly in the third spot last season (55 games), slugging .297 with nine home runs and 24 RBI. However, he hit from the leadoff spot tool (33 games), slashing .272 with four home runs and nine RBI.
The Yankees do not need Torres to do anything spectacular at the plate tomorrow, except just get on base as he has Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Giancarlo Stanton behind him. Opening Day will be a good test for Torres and the Yankees’ offense as they are facing one of the better pitchers in the American League (Framber Valdez).
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