Ronald Torreyes gets big cheer in return from minors

Ronald Torreyes is back where he and many Yankees fans want him to be.

After hitting .323 over 24 games to open the season, Torreyes became the odd man out when Greg Bird returned from the disabled list May 26, sending the 25-year-old versatile infielder to the minors. But after being recalled to the Yankees Monday, Torreyes, who was greeted to a loud ovation during introductions at Yankee Stadium, made his first start Wednesday evening, batting No. 9 and starting at second base.

“The first couple days were tough, but at the same time, you open your eyes and you see that you’re still doing what you love to do, which is playing baseball,” Torreyes said about his demotion before the game. “Keep on grinding, keep on preparing yourself as best as you can and just waiting for that phone call again to come back to the big leagues.”

And when that call came, Torreyes said he packed his bags and got to New York as fast as he could. In what’s been a difficult few months for him both professionally and personally, Torreyes was all smiles in his return to the Bronx. The infielder missed nearly a month in Triple-A starting June 25 with his wife dealing with an unknown medical condition, but Torreyes said he’s thankful his wife is now doing fine.

Before being sent down, Torreyes started only six games in May, hitting .238 for the month. During that span, Gleyber Torres emerged as the everyday second baseman -- hitting nine home runs while hitting .325 in May, Didi Gregorius’ powerful bat totaled 10 home runs while hitting .330 in April and Miguel Andujar started to elevate himself at third base.

Torreyes hit .252 with no home runs and three doubles in 30 minor-league games. The 5-8 infielder had only six extra-base hits -- all doubles -- in the majors.

“It’s been an interesting year for me,” Torreyes said. “It’s something you go through as a professional athlete, especially baseball sometimes.”

With injuries and strikeout totals increasing for the Yankees, fans have been clamouring more for the return of Torreyes, a contact hitter with the ability to play all over the infield and even corner outfield spots. He made seven starts at second base and five at both shortstop and third base for the Yankees in his first 24 games this season.

“Fans have a loud voice and when I was down there, I received a lot of messages from the fans encouraging words saying, ‘Keep doing your thing,’” Torreyes said. “And now that I’m up here, the messages keep coming … it serves as motivation to see that somehow you matter to so many different people, some people that you don’t even know.”

But now that Torreyes is back with the Yankees, getting the chance to start Tuesday in what manager Aaron Boone called just a rest day for Torres, Torreyes hopes to contribute to the team any way he can and prove his roster spot.

“When I went down, the mentality was to keep on doing what I’ve been doing up here in the big leagues,” Torreyes said. “Keep working hard to get myself the best opportunity to come back.”