247news: I will not take it “Yankees Are Pressed disappointed.
To say that things are going well for the New York Yankees as we go into the heart of the MLB season in late June would be an understatement. With an MLB-best ERA of 2.76 and the return of ace Gerrit Cole from an arm ailment that sidelined him since March, they have a deep starting rotation. Although the team may look to improve in the bullpen, even the relievers have a combined ERA of 2.86, which is second in MLB, and a WHIP of 1.14, which is third.
They are deep in the lineup, too, with a collective OPS of .768, first in baseball and 93 home runs (second). Still, there is a soft spot in the lineup, and chatter lately has the Yankees perhaps seeking an overhaul on the right side of the infield, where Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres have disappointed. First basemen are easy enough to find—if indeed the Yankees do seek to bump Rizzo—but second base is a bit trickier.
There is a player out there, though, who could easily fit in as a Torres replacement and is toiling for a team that figures to be a certain seller when the trade deadline rolls around in eight weeks: Luis Rengifo of the Angels. As Bleacher Report MLB podcaster Borna Nazari stated on Friday, “What about Luis Rengifo? He is playing like an All-Star. He comes with club control through the end of 2025.”
Gleyber Torres Luis Rengifo took his position = “Perfect”?
In his seventh season with the Angels, Rengifo is 27 years old. Rengifo is hitting.264 the last two seasons, with 17 home runs in 2022 and 16 in 2023. He’s having by far his greatest year, with a slash line of.327/.374/.469, however there should be some concern about him regressing to the mean.
Without a doubt, he would provide the Yankees with a substitute for Torres.
In a B/R livestream, Nazari stated, “The Angels can have Rengifo go to the Yankees, if they like that move.” The Yankees would be a great fit for that. Rengifo would perform where? .. Do you have enough of Gleyber Torres? Do you believe that the Gleyber Torres story in New York is finished? For the record, Torres has an OPS of.650 and is hitting.238. Rengifo is filling in for Gleyber in the Yankees lineup with almost flawless efficiency.
Rengifo would simply propel the Yankees farther up the standings in a lineup that is already destroying MLB pitchers.
“Take a look at this talented Yankees offense. Rengifo is a major deal when you put it outside of Gleyber Torres, according to Nazari.
Yankees Might Take a Chance on Ruining Something Good
As the Yankees get closer to the trade deadline, that is one of the most important questions. Sure, it makes sense to replace Torres, but if the main issue is that the second baseman, who mostly bats in the No. 7 spot, has had a bad start, is it really worth overhauling a lineup that has been so successful?
Deesha Thosar, an MLB writer for Fox Sports, suggested that the Yankees might make changes to the Rizzo-Torres area of the infield, but he cautioned.
“Despite his early-season slump and improved performance in May, Gleyber Torres still has an 81 OPS+ and has been linked to trade rumors for his entire Yankees career,” the author observed.
However, Torres has reached base in 12 of his previous 13 games and is hitting.289 over that time.
One may argue that the Yankees lineup, one of the greatest in the majors, doesn’t need to be retooled in case it disrupts their fantastic flow, as Thosar pointed out.
Veteran sports writer Sean Deveney works for Heavy.com, covering the NBA, NFL, and MLB. With over 20 years of NBA coverage experience, including 17 years as the lead NBA correspondent for Sporting News, he has been writing for Heavy since 2019. A writer of seven nonfiction books, Deveney is the author of “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” Additional details regarding Sean Deveney
