Yankees bench a poor infield player for lack of effort…

The New York Yankees made a significant change ahead of Wednesday’s game against the New York Mets, benching starting second baseman Gleyber Torres in favor of Oswaldo Cabrera.

Torres failed to hustle on an infield ground ball during Tuesday’s loss, drawing plenty of criticism. He mentioned that his right groin was bothering him, so his benching could be linked to the injury, but it may also be partially due to his lackluster production this season.

This season, the 27-year-old is hitting .215/.294/.333, including seven homers and 29 RBIs, with an 83 wRC+. His numbers have dropped significantly this year despite being in a contract season and seeking a major payday following 2024.

In Torres’ place, Cabrera will take over at second base. Cabrera hasn’t been performing better offensively, hitting .237/.273/.344, including five homers and 25 RBIs, with a 78 wRC+. In fact, Cabrera has only two hits over his last three games, totaling 10 at-bats. However, his last appearance against Atlanta yielded two hits and two RBIs.