Yankees’ Gleyber Torres’ 1-word reaction to surprising power display

Yankees rookie Gleyber Torres has 13 home runs, way more than he ever hit in a single season in the minors. He’s hitting .295 this season and has 33 RBI, following the Yankees’ 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, June 14, 2018 (6/14/18).

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NEW YORK — “Weird.”

That’s what Gleyber Torres said it was like to think about the power tear he’s been on in the majors, his latest blast handing the Yankees a 4-3 win over the Rays at Yankee Stadium on Thursday

Torres has 13 home runs — by far the most by any American League rookie. He also had the most homer out of any second baseman in the AL, with the Twins’ Brian Dozier a distant second with nine.

Torres hit just 24 homers in 370 minor-league games.

“I’m working every day,” Torres said. “I don’t think about homers. I just try to think about putting the ball in play and do my job every time. If I get a homer, I’m happy, too. If I get a base hit, if I help the team, I’m very happy.”

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Torres’ three-run blast in the fifth inning turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead. The 21-year-old from Venezuela worked a full count against Rays lefty Blake Snell, who tried to throw a 96-mph fastball down and away and instead left it chest-high. Torres ripped into it, sending it nearly to the left field second deck.

Torres leads all big-league hitters with five three-run homers this season. All other Yankees have combined for just eight three-run homers, including two grand slams.

His 33 RBI are also the most among AL rookies.

Manager Aaron Boone was asked what’s been most impressive about Torres in the first 45 games of his career.

“I think it’s his ability to adjust within the at-bat,” Boone said. “I feel like I’ve seen it a number of times this year where he may look bad on a pitch and then gets deep into a count and he’s hit a lot of different pitches out for home runs, whether it’s offspeed pitches, fastballs, different quadrants of the strike zone.

“He’s shown an ability to handle different pitches, obviously the ability to go the other way and to the big part of the field. So his in-game adjustability, — both him and (rookie third baseman Miguel Andujar) — their ability to adjust to what a pitcher’s doing in the course of an at-bat is something I’ve been really pleased with.” 

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.