Gleyber Torres dealing with “hip/groin tightness”, scratched from Yankees’ lineup

As the magic number for the Yankees’ playoff seeding counts down, so too apparently does the number of healthy players on the team’s roster. With Didi Gregorius and Aaron Hicks already sidelined, Marc Carig reports that Gleyber Torres is dealing with hip and/or groin issues.

Torres was initially in tonight’s lineup, playing shortstop at the Trop for game two against the Rays. He was dropped late in the afternoon, and Boone came clean with the hip/groin problems. That’s been a literal sore spot for Torres in his young career, as he’s missed time earlier this year with hip issues. They have also flared up in his minor league time.

For now, this seems to be precautionary, and likely has a whole lot to do with minimizing the time Torres spends on Tropicana Field’s turf; Bryan Hoch tweeted out that Torres is available off the bench, even if he skipped batting practice earlier today. As the Yankees limp towards the Wild Card Game next Wednesday, we can only hope this really is just the team being safe with one of their most prized assets.

Adeiny Hechavarria will take over duties at shortstop tonight, batting eighth, while Neil Walker keeps his spot at second base.