It’s Gleyber Time! MLB.com and other news outlets have reported that New York Yankees top prospect Gleyber Torres is headed to the big leagues. The 21-year-old infielder will join New York for Sunday’s game against the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
The club has not confirmed the move yet. There has been speculation since Spring Training when the phenom would make his first appearance in pinstripes. Torres, baseball’s No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was off to a hot start in the Minors this year, batting .370/.415/.543 with five extra-base hits and 11 RBIs in 13 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Because Torres spent more than 20 days in the Minors, the Yankees delayed his free agency an additional year until after the 2024 season, meaning he will be under team control for seven years rather than six.
It is the same move the Atlanta Braves may have made with rookie prospect Ronald Acuna.
Gleyber Torres signed with the Chicago Cubs as an international free agent in 2013, for a $1.7 million signing bonus. He made his professional debut in 2014 with the Arizona Cubs of the Rookie-level Arizona League. He was later promoted to the Boise Hawks of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League. In 50 games for the two teams combined, he hit .297/.386/.440 with two home runs.
In 2016, the Cubs traded Torres, Adam Warren, Billy McKinney, and Rashad Crawford to the Yankees for relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman. He began his Yankees career playing with the Tampa Yankees of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League.
Per Chad Thornburg of MLB.com, Gleyber Torres was competing for the starting second-base job in Spring Training, but he was optioned to Triple-A on March 13. It’s not yet clear how the Yankees intend to deploy Torres, but it’s possible he supplants slumping infielder Tyler Wade. At Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Torres has started eight of his 13 games at third base.