How will the return of Gleyber Torres affect Andrew Velazquez?

OAKLAND, Calif. — The clock officially is ticking on Gleyber Torres’ return to the Yankees.

What that means for Bronx-born shortstop Andrew Velazquez, who in his brief time in the majors has not only become a fan favorite but a clubhouse favorite as well, remains to be seen.

Torres, on the injured list since Aug. 9 with a left thumb sprain, began a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Sunday.

The intent, Aaron Boone said, is for Torres to be activated when the club returns from this three-city, nine-game trip Thursday. The Yankees will start a seven-game homestand Friday night against the Orioles.

"If everything goes well, that’s kind of the plan," Boone said of Torres being in Friday’s lineup.

Torres’ return would severely impact Velazquez, who has played terrific defense at shortstop and occasionally has shown some surprising pop in his bat. Defense has been a weakness in Torres’ game, and the Yankees privately hope Velazquez’s performance might light a bit of a fire under him.

Torres is hitting .253 with six homers and a .679 OPS in 99 games (he still has a team-high 14 errors).

"We’ll see," Boone said of Velazquez’s role once Torres is back. "I mean, I don’t want to jump ahead of myself here. And that’s [in] five days, which in baseball terms can be a lifetime . . . And the more good players in the mix, the stronger our team is going to be. We’ll just see where we are in the next week."

Rizzo sits

Anthony Rizzo, who has struggled since coming off the COVID-19 IL on Aug. 18, was not in the starting lineup but is fine, Boone said. Rizzo is 5-for-32 (.156) with no homers and four RBIs in nine games since his return. He reached on an error as a pinch hitter on Sunday night during the Yankees’ 3-1 loss to the A’s.

Kluber set

Boone said Corey Kluber, slated to make his first start on Monday since he left his May 25 start with a shoulder strain, will be on a pitch count in the 65-to-75 range vs. the Angels.

Boone has said lefty Andrew Heaney, whose rotation spot Kluber is taking, is likely to piggyback off Kluber on Monday.

 

Catch a Ray

The Yankees have been the hottest team in baseball of late.

The problem?

With Sunday’s victory over the Orioles, which gave Tampa Bay an 18-1 record against Baltimore, the Rays (82-48) have won 11 of 12 and 18 of 22 and own MLB’s second-best record.

"Yeah, it’s pretty remarkable," Boone said before Sunday night’s loss dropped the Yankees six games behind the Rays. "I mean, we know what a good team they are. But like you said, it is out of our control. We’ll just hopefully continue to take care of things on our end."