The New York Yankees have too many good players and not enough roster spots. Ronald Torreyes was sent down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and the demotion is being felt throughout the clubhouse.
All in all, the New York Yankees have a good problem. They have dealt with injuries, but now that they are finally getting healthy, they have nowhere to put everyone. Unfortunately, super utility man Ronald Torreyes was sent down to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make room for the recently healthy Greg Bird.
The diminutive Torreyes has always been a fan favorite and he also seems to be an integral part of the Yankee clubhouse. According to reports from Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media, the clubhouse is taking the Torreyes demotion exceptionally hard.
Aaron Boone told Kuty:
“It was a difficult night, which was simply a tribute to what Ronald Torreyes is and what he means to our team and our clubhouse and frankly the way he’s performed in his years here. But I haven’t had that conversation with that group as a whole but it was — you could feel it in our room late (Friday) night.”
Clubhouse chemistry is huge in baseball. It’s hard to see it from the outside and it’s definitely difficult to quantify—but it definitely means something. Always the pragmatist, Brian Cashman discussed the tough decision. He told Kuty:
“We’d like to get Toe back in the future at some point, but I can say the same thing about Clint Frazier, Brandon Drury, amongst others. It was not an easy decision but we’re paid to make tough ones,”
While the move may have taken some air out of the Yankee clubhouse, it’s hard to argue with the decision from Cashman and Boone. Sure, Torreyes is always ready whenever called upon, is hitting .339, and has a decent glove—but he’s got little to no pop in his bat, rarely draws any walks, and is an atrocious baserunner.
He’s a nice player for sure, but who else should have gone down? Maybe a pitcher, but it seems like the Yankees are steadfast in their commitment to carry 13 pitchers. After that, the options would be to demote Tyler Austin, Miguel Andujar, or Gleyber Torres? All three are in the way-too-early Rookie of the Year conversation. Maybe they would cut Neil Walker if push comes to shove, but by sending down Toe they can keep him in their back pocket rather than lose Walker completely.
The clubhouse may be deflated for a few days, but they’ll regroup. It’s tough and it can’t be fun for Toe, but this was a move that needed to happen. Injuries are always going to come sooner or later. The only thing Torreyes can do now is what he’s always done. Be ready when his number is called again.
