Gleyber Torres is back for the Yankees’ September push.
Which version of the shortstop they get could help determine their path to October.
The Yankees activated Torres off the injured list Friday and he was in the lineup against the Orioles for the first time since Aug. 8, when he sprained his left thumb on a dive into second base.
Torres entered Friday batting .253 with a career-low 90 OPS-plus and six home runs in 99 games. His lack of power this season has been surprising — two years removed from hitting 38 home runs in 2019 — but he had begun to turn things around overall before getting hurt.
In his last 25 games before the fateful dive into second base, he was hitting .304 (28-for-92) with an .832 OPS. He drilled three of his six home runs during that stretch.
Torres’ return will push Andrew Velazquez into a role player off the bench after the Bronx native had filled in admirably in Torres’ absence.
