It is an understatement to say that the New York Yankees are doing well as we hit the meat of the MLB season in late June. They have a deep starting rotation with an ERA of 2.76, which is second in the MLB, and ace Gerrit Cole is returning from an arm ailment that has kept him out since March. The bullpen is one area where the team might look for improvement, but even the relievers have a combined ERA of 2.86 (second in MLB) and a WHIP of 1.14 (third).
They are also deep in the lineup, with a combined OPS of.768, the highest in baseball, and 93 home runs (second).
Still, there is a weakness in the lineup, and recent speculation suggests that the Yankees may seek a makeover on the right side of the infield, where Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres have underperformed. First basemen are easier to find—if the Yankees do look to replace Rizzo—but second base is a bit more difficult.
However, there is a guy out there who might easily fit in as a Torres replacement and is working for a team that appears to be a certain seller when the trade deadline arrives in eight weeks: Luis Rengifo of the Angels.
Borna Nazari, a Bleacher Report MLB podcaster, said on Friday, “What about Luis Rengifo?” He’s playing like an All-Star. He comes with club control till the end of 2025.
Gleyber Torres Replaced with Luis Rengifo = ‘Perfect’?
Rengifo, 27, is in his seventh season with the Angels. He’s having by far his greatest year, with a slash line of.327/.374/.469. While there is some concern that he may regress to the norm, Rengifo has been a decent hitter for the past two seasons, hitting.264 in both years, with 17 home runs in 2022 and 16 in 2023.
He would undoubtedly offer the Yankees an alternative to Torres.
“What the Angels can do is send Rengifo to the Yankees, if they like that move,” Nazari remarked during a B/R webcast. “That would be a great fit for the Yankees.” Where would Rengifo play? … Are you sick and tired of Gleyber Torres? Do you think Gleyber Torres’ New York experience is over? Torres has a.238 batting average and an OPS of.650. Rengifo fits in almost perfectly where Gleyber plays for the Yankees.”
Adding Rengifo to an already dominant lineup would propel the Yankees even higher up the food chain.
“Look at the Yankees offence; it’s loaded. Outside of Gleyber Torres, you slot Rengifo there, it’s huge,” Nazari stated.
Yankees may jeopardize a positive development.
That is one of the most important questions as the Yankees approach the trade deadline. Yes, removing Torres makes sense, but is it worth overhauling a lineup that has been so effective if the main issue is that the second baseman—who typically hits in the No. 7 spot—has had a sluggish start?
Deesha Thosar, a Fox Sports MLB writer, proposed that the Yankees revamp the Rizzo-Torres area of the infield, but she later backtracked.
“Gleyber Torres had a better May than he did April, and he’s been serviceable since coming out of that early-season slump, but he still sports an 81 OPS+ and has been embroiled in trade rumours throughout his Yankees tenure,” she stated.
Torres, on the other hand, has hit in 12 of his previous 13 games and is batting.289 over that time.
According to Thosar: “There is an argument to be made that the Yankees lineup, one of the best units in the majors, doesn’t need retooling in case it messes up their good flow.”
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