Make no mistake: The fate of the Yankees still hinges on Gleyber Torres

It seems weird to note, but yesterday's Yankee batting hero didn't belt a homer. Nope. Gleyber Torres went 2 for 5 with two singles and two RBIs. Both hits resounded: one tied the game, one won it, and neither was spanked. One floated to right-center, and one wobbled down the third base line. That's okay. As Horton the elephant would say, "A ribby's a ribby, no matter how small." And these days, one game above .500, the Death Barge will take whatever it can get.

We are now six weeks into the Great 2021 Gleyber Experiment, in which we sought to convert an all-star 2B into a formidable SS, creating the next Jeter. (Or you might say the next Didi, or even our response to the Mets' Francisco Lindor.) 

Here's where everything stands. Among MLB shortstops, Gleyber ranks:

18th in OPS with a meager .623. (Three slots below Didi Gregorius, and one ahead of Lindor, who has been booed.) 

21st in RBIs, with 7. (Didi has 22; Lindor 6.)

14th in batting average, at .241. (Didi at .234; Lindor at .190.)

30th in homers, having yet to hit one. (Didi has 4, Lindor 2.)

15th in errors, with four (Didi has 6, Lindor 2.)

14th in fielding percentage, at .969. (Didi ranks 25th, Lindor 10th.)

If you want a quickie comparison between the '21 Yanks and first-place Redsocks, consider the SS position. Boston's Xander Bogaerts is having an MVP season: 7 HRs, 20 RBIs and a .357 average, third among all MLB hitters. The Redsock offense has boiled behind him. (He bats cleanup behind Verdugo - .311 - and Martinez - .339. Ouch.)

So... where are we?  

1. The numbers don't lie: Thus far, Gleyber has been mediocre, like the Yankees. 

2. His fielding has improved after the retirement of Jay Bruce, who tried gamely but failed at 1B. 

3. Nothing suggests he is heating up. Over the last week, Gleyber is 4 for 18. In the month of May, six for 22. 

4. He had a rotten 2020: .243 with3 HRs and 16 RBIs. (The MLB leader, Jose Abreu, had 60.) The Yankees later pooh-poohed his troubles, blaming the pandemic and even suggesting that Gleyber arrived in camp out of shape. Weird.

5. The future of the Yankees hinges on their lone young, ascending everyday starter: Gleyber is 24.

6. It's time to ponder the possibility that this is not a slump but the new normal. 

So... have I completely depressed you? 

Because yesterday did bring a laser beam of hope. Two key hits, which helped the Yankees avoid a three-game losing streak and a lost series, as they prepare to hit Tampa, their new City of Death.  

I don't suggest that Aaron Boone benches Gleyber. Really, what option does he have? Tyler Wade cannot hit, Gio Urshela is having trouble enough staying healthy at 3B, and down in Scranton, Kyle Holder has yet to get a hit in 2021. We have one shortstop, one future, and it is Gleyber.

So... we wait and watch. But make no mistake: The player who matters most is not our DH or our RF, or even the all-purpose LeMahieu. It's the guy who plays Jeter's position, and thus far, he hasn't been very good.