Was Aaron Boones first attempt at picking a leadoff hitter the right answer? Because in the past week, Gleyber Torres has made a case that he is back where the Yankees most need him. The second baseman opened the season batting first a highly pre surized spot ahead of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge and struggled. He hit .200 with a .521 OPS in his first dozen games, and for game 13, he was in the middle of the order and a hot Anthony Volpe had risen. Gleyber Torres has been hitting well atop the Yankees order. Robert Sabo for NY Post But Volpe stalled. As did Ben Rice and Alex Verdugo. Beginning Aug. 16 in a win over Detroit, Boone bumped Torres back to the top of the order, and the latest leadoff solution has produced results. Torres owns a .406 on-base percentage in seven games since his leap back to the front Landon Slaggert Jersey of the order. After a 1-for-4 night Friday, he is 7-for-26 (.269) with six walks and five strikeouts and fighting through lengthy battles even in plate appearances that dont end well. During Thursdays win over the Guardians, Torres singled to left; struck out swinging on the sixth-pitch of an at-bat; walked during a 10-pitch dogfight; walked in eight pitches; and struck out. Gleyber Torres went 1-for-4 on Friday night for the Yankees. Robert Sabo for NY Post In five plate appearances, the No. 1 hitter saw 31 pitches. His manager did not think Torres had tweaked his approach since the lineup switch, but Boone was happy Torres was continuing a promising stretch. I think hes just a really good hitter thats kind of had some struggles this year, Boone said of Torres, who carries an overall .664 OPS that is damaged by a poor first six weeks of the season. For the better part of over a month, more consistent at-bats. Gleyber Torres of the New York Yankees hits a single during the first inning against the Guardians on Aug. 21, 2024. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post I think all year hes done a good job with the strike zone, even when hes had some struggles. A lot of long at-bats hes continuing to do that. Torres said he does not feel any more pre sure when batting in front of maybe the two best hitters in the game. Pitchers likely pitch him a bit differently when Soto and Judge are up next, and Torres said he may be seeing a few more fastballs than usual. But he believes the general upswing in his results has come from continued work on his swing rather than his lineup position. Explore More The last, I gue s, couple weeks, I feel Ive gotten better, said Torres, who led off the with a roped double, extending an 18-game on-base streak in which he is batting .275. Just trying to put 100% into every at-bat and try to pa s the baton to the other guys behind me. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! The second baseman is set to become a free agent at seasons end and has made it clear he wants to return to the Yankees, which is in doubt when so much money is expected to be devoted to retaining Soto. Torres walk year statistically has been his worst one and has included a benching after he did not hustle on a ball he believed to be a home run but that ended up a single. A late-season surge from Torres could mean a lot for him and would mean a lot for a team that has flipped over plenty of rocks in search of a reliable leadoff hitter. Gleyber Torres waving after he was left on base at the end of the sixth inning on Aug. 22, 2024. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Hes an important part of this, Boone said of Torres, who entered play 11th in MLB among qualified hitters in seeing 4.22 pitches per plate appearance and shook off a foul ball he drilled into his left leg. Hes one of those guys that really lengthens [the lineup] out when hes right. And it feels like hes stringing a lot of really good at-bats together now, which is really encouraging. Kris Versteeg Jersey