Yankees move Gleyber Torres from shortstop to second base - MLB

NEW YORK — Gleyber Torres was treated by the Yankees the same way he dealt with too many grounders: He was given the boot from shortstop.

New York moved the error-prone infielder to second base against Minnesota.

DJ LeMahieu switched from second to third, and Tyler Wade played shortstop. Manager Aaron Boone said Gio Urshela will move from third and likely will become the regular shortstop.

Andrew Velazquez, a shortstop optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, could be recalled when eligible.

Torres, 24, was primarily a second baseman during his first two seasons with the Yankees in 2018 and 2019. He filled in at shortstop when Didi Gregorius got hurt and was moved there for 2020 after Gregorius left as a free agent to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Torres made nine errors last year and has 18 this season, the second most in the American League behind the 24 of Toronto’s Bo Bichette.

“This past week he struggled a little bit out there defensively,” Boone said. “I feel like it’s been a weight on him this week and I just feel like this is something that hopefully can take a little weight off him.”

Torres misplayed what should have been an inning-ending double-play grounder by James McCann in the seventh inning Friday night, allowing two runs in the Yankees’ 10-3 loss at the Mets. Torres let Kevin Pillar‘s leadoff grounder in the second inning bounce off an arm on Sunday night, leading to Francisco Lindor‘s two-out, three-run homer. Lindor homered three times during the Mets’ 7-6 win.

“I think there’s been a weight and a pressure to it over this last week that I’ve certainly sensed,” Boone said. “I think he’s such a dynamic player for us when he’s going well that I feel like the switch over there might be something that really gets him rolling.”

Torres has slumped for the second straight season. He entered Monday hitting .252 with seven homers and 45 RBIs after batting .243 with three homers and 16 RBIs during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He hit .278 with 38 homers and 90 RBIs in 2019, making the AL All-Star team for the second consecutive season.

“I think it sometimes becomes such a story – one play becomes such a storyline, a narrative that lasts a long time, which I think at times has been really unfair because I think there’s been large chunks of really steady play out there for us this year,” Boone said. “My sense is that I feel like this last week has weighed on him and he’s made a couple of mistakes. And then all of a sudden you’re out there playing a little bit tentative and not to make a mistake. And that’s what I don’t want to see. And obviously we’re at a critical point of the year where we’re getting down to the end and I feel like I don’t really want that to snowball a little bit.”

PITTSBURGH – Andrew McCutchen’s tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning lifted Pittsburgh to a 5-4 victory over Oakland on Monday night, extending the Pirates’ win streak to six games and sending the Athletics to their record-tying 15th consecutive road loss.

The 15 straight defeats away from home matches the Athletics’ record since they moved from Kansas City in 1968. Oakland set that mark in 1986.

The major league-worst Athletics (12-50) have lost five games in a row overall. They are on pace to finish the season exactly 100 games under .500 at 31-131.

“It’s tough,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “Tonight’s game, we didn’t play well enough to win the game. I don’t want to say we gave the game away but there were a lot of instances where we had a chance to capitalize on opportunities and didn’t do it.”

McCutchen also singled and drew three walks to go with two RBIs. The 2013 NL MVP now has 1,998 career hits.

With the score tied at 4, Ji Hwan Bae led off the decisive eighth inning with a single off Sam Moll (0-3) and advanced to third on Austin Hedges’ one-out single. McCutchen’s sac fly plated Bae.

“I was just trying to get the job done. I understand the situation there,” McCutchen said. “We just need to get the run. I was trying to bear down against a hard thrower and trying to get that run in as much as I can, and I was able to do it and have a good at-bat.”

Angel Perdomo (1-0) retired both hitters he faced. and Colin Holdeman pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his first career save. It was an eventful inning for Holderman as the first three batters reached base, but he struck out Carlos Perez with runners on the corners to end it.

“I began my career as a starting pitcher in the minor leagues but ever since I was switched to relief, this has been the goal, to get a save in the big leagues,” Holderman said.

Pittsburgh starter Johan Oviedo gave up three runs and four hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

Oakland left-hander JP Sears did not allow a hit until Mark Mathias’ leadoff single in the fifth but was unable to make it through the inning. Sears was charged with one run in 4 2/3 innings while allowing two hits, walking five and striking out six.

Sears has not allowed more than two runs in five consecutive starts. His nine no-decisions are the most in the major leagues.

Ryan Noda and Brent Rooker had two hits each for the Athletics.

The Athletics tied the score at 4-4 in the eighth inning on pinch-hitter Aledmys Diaz’s run-scoring double. Oakland left the bases loaded, though, when Nick Allen hit an inning-ending flyout.

Consecutive bases-loaded walks keyed a three-run sixth inning that put the Pirates 4-3. McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds each worked bases on balls off Shintaro Fujinami to tie the score at 3-all and pinch-hitter Jack Suwinski followed with a sacrifice fly.

The Athletics opened the scoring in the first inning when rookie Esteury Ruiz reached on catcher’s interference, stole his MLB-leading 30th base of the season and scored on Noda’s single. Seth Brown doubled in a run in the third and came home on Perez’s sacrifice fly to push Oakland’s lead to 3-0.

Connor Joe hit an RBI double for the Pirates in the fifth.

The Pirates drew 10 walks, their most in a game in nearly two years.

“We had a bunch of opportunities that we didn’t capitalize (on), but the thing I think I was most proud of is we got down and we didn’t rush to get back,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said. “We were still patient.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: LHP Kirby Snead (strained shoulder) is expected to pitch in the Arizona Complex League on Tuesday, which will be his first game action since spring training. … RHP Freddy Tarnok (strained shoulder) will throw a bullpen on Tuesday.

TOP PICK PROMOTED

Pirates catching prospect Henry Davis was promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis from Double-A Altoona. In 41 games at Double-A this season, the 23-year-old hit .284 with 10 home runs and seven stolen bases.

“He was performing offensively at a level where we felt like he was more than ready to meet the challenges,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “He improved as an offensive player even since spring training, focusing on the things we were challenging him on. Defensively, he’s made strides too.”

Davis was the first overall selection in the 2021 amateur draft from the University of Louisville.

UP NEXT

Athletics RHP James Kaprielian (0-6, 8.12 ERA) will make his first start in June after taking the loss in all four starts in May and face RHP Mitch Keller (7-1, 3.25). Keller has eight or more strikeouts in seven consecutive starts, the longest streak by a Pirates pitcher in the modern era (since 1901).