GLEYBER TORRES IS THRIVING, Y'ALL

Gleyber Torres bet on himself — and it’s paying off like a loaded slot machine in Vegas. Meanwhile, back in the Bronx, Aaron Boone is too busy braiding friendship bracelets for Anthony Volpe to notice the giant infield-sized hole he helped create. For the longest time this season the infield has been a mess between juggling 2nd base and 3rd. 

Meanwhile for Torres, he's now firmly planted in the heart of the Detroit Tigers’ lineup, is hitting a clean .275 with a .795 OPS and five homers — and those numbers might actually understate how good he’s been. His expected batting average? A gaudy .301, good for the 91st percentile in MLB. Translation: if baseballs had slightly better manners, Torres would be raking even more. That’s not luck — that’s skill plus patience, the kind you develop when you're trying to prove everyone wrong.

The best part? He's matured. He’s owning his shortcomings, working to improve, and not blaming the shadows or a pebble in the grass. At 28, he’s got time and motivation. That's what you get when you believe in a player.

Too bad the Yankees didn’t.

Instead of backing a proven bat like Torres, Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman effectively handed Gleyber a MetroCard and told him to swipe out. And for what? So, he could glue DJ LeMahieu’s creaky knees to second base, juggle Peraza around the diamond and continue his daily devotional to Anthony Volpe — a man who’s still searching for a consistent bat and, let’s be honest, looks like he should be in Double-A biology class, not playing shortstop for the Yankees.

Oh, and one more thing: the Tigers — yes, those Tigers — are 2.5 games ahead of the Yankees in the standings. Much of that has to do with Torres. That's not just salt in the wound. That’s an entire salt truck backing over the infield.

So here we are... Gleyber is thriving, Detroit is smiling, and Yankees fans are left wondering why the Yankees decided to give up on a 28-year-old with pop, guts, and upside, just so he could keep playing infield musical chairs with guys who are either past their prime or still figuring out which cleat goes on which foot.