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Yankees give top prospect Gleyber Torres a shot in majors

The infielder has been playing well in Triple A.
 
Top prospect Gleyber Torres, shown during a spring training game, is reportedly joining the Yankees from Triple A and could play Sunday against the Blue Jays.[Associated Press]
Top prospect Gleyber Torres, shown during a spring training game, is reportedly joining the Yankees from Triple A and could play Sunday against the Blue Jays.[Associated Press]
Published April 22, 2018

Gleyber Torres cannot help an erratic staff of starting pitchers. Nor can he help shake Giancarlo Stanton from his April funk. But the Yankees hope that calling up Torres from Triple A on Saturday will provide a jolt before they fall much farther behind the sizzling  Red Sox in the American League East.

Torres, the Yankees' much-ballyhooed top prospect, will be in uniform — and quite likely in the lineup at second or third base — on Sunday at Yankee Stadium against the Blue Jays.

Torres, 21, who was acquired nearly two years ago from the Cubs, was pulled from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's game in the seventh inning Saturday so he could head to New York, according to reports.

Torres, who was hitting .370 with a .415 on-base percentage and a .543 slugging percentage in Triple A, will be joining a team in need of a boost. The Yankees beat the Blue Jays on Saturday to improve to 10-9 and pull within seven games of the Red Sox, pending the outcome of Boston's game in Oakland on Saturday night. The Blue Jays are in second place, 41/2 games behind the Red Sox.

Torres has been playing exclusively at third base over the past week, and if he plays there with the Yankees, the current third baseman, Miguel Andujar, will be moved to either first base or designated hitter.

Andujar, who is filling in for Brandon Drury (migraines), has been the Yankees' hottest hitter of late. He is 9-for-20 over his past five games, with five doubles, a triple and two home runs. Torres is considered a better defender than Andujar.

A more pressing need, though, is at second base, where the Yankees were forced to turn to utility player Ronald Torreyes after Tyler Wade and Neil Walker got off to poor starts. Wade is hitting just .086, and Walker, who has also played first base, is hitting .183. Torreyes is hitting .417, but he has little power, and the Yankees value his versatility.

Torres' debut has been anticipated for some time.

The Yankees intended to call him up last season, but in late June he tore ligaments in his left elbow while sliding headfirst into home plate. The injury to his non-throwing arm required Tommy John surgery and cost him the remainder of the season. The Yankees prohibited Torres from playing winter ball to ensure he was fully healed, and the inactivity showed during spring training.

But Torres has worked his way into better shape in the minors. Tim Naehring, the Yankees' assistant general manager, has been following Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and keeping an eye on Torres.

A week ago, the Yankees felt Torres needed a little more time in the minors.

"I think it's just getting him into the flow of the season," manager Aaron Boone said last weekend in Detroit. "At that point, we'll probably have a decision we have to make."

On Saturday, it was made.

Around baseball: Pitcher in critical condition

White Sox RHP Danny Farquhar, a former Ray, suffered a ruptured aneurysm that caused a brain hemorrhage Friday during the team's loss to the Astros.

The White Sox said in a statement Saturday that he is stable but in critical condition in the ICU at Rush University Medical Center. Farquhar was taken to the hospital after vomiting and passing out in the dugout.

Farquhar threw 15 pitches in the sixth. In the bottom of the inning, he lost consciousness. The team's medical staff and EMTs crowded the dugout to tend to him and take him into the clubhouse.

Farquhar, 31, a married father of three, regained consciousness and was taken to Rush for further evaluation.

Farquhar is in his seventh major-league season. He was drafted by the Blue Jays in 2008 and spent time with Dunedin in the Florida State League. He spent parts of the 2016 and '17 seasons with the Rays, getting released in July 2017. He then signed with Chicago.

Rays manager Kevin Cash shared thoughts about Farquhar during a media session Saturday: "Danny Farquhar, the Farquhar family, the Rays' thoughts, prayers, a lot of positive thoughts going that way. He played for us for two years, we support him. Can't imagine what the White Sox are going through. But most importantly his wife, his children, his extended family. And especially Danny. A lot of thoughts going his way, and hope for good news to come in the coming days."

Numbers of the day
10 Straight Cardinals wins over the Reds, including four last season, matching their longest streak against Cincinnati since 11 straight in 1949.

11 Yankees to go on the disabled list this season, seven shy of last year's total. RHP Adam Warren went on the 10-day DL Saturday because of a strained back.

Quotable
"It was a big stepping-stone.''

Orioles RHP Chris Tillman, who gave up four runs, eight hits and a walk in six innings to the visiting Indians and dropped to 0-4, but he lowered his ERA from 11.91 to 9.87.

Extras
• Struggling one-time ace Matt Harvey was moved to the Mets bullpen. The right-hander is 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA.

• Former Ray Sean Rodriguez had his first career leadoff home run in the Pirates' loss to the host Phillies, a shot off the scoreboard on the facing of the second deck in rightfield.