With free agency on the horizon, Gleyber Torres was taking money out of his own pocket heading into the All-Star break. The 27-year-old, one of baseball’s best offensive second basemen in 2023, was slashing just .231/.307/.347 with eight home runs, 35 RBI and an 88 wRC+ over 93 games at the time. Torres did find some success at the plate following a two-game benching in late June, but he still felt he needed to make some adjustments to his swing. So Torres spent the break at the Tampa facility he co-owns with former Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela, among others. There, the two and a personal hitting coach rejected rest during a rare lull in MLB’s grueling schedule. Instead, they spent their off time in the cages as Torres tried to restore his swing and his confidence. “When I struggled, I just went there and tried to fix everything in three days,” Torres said Tuesday before the Yankees hosted the Guardians in Game 2 of the ALCS. Urshela, a Tiger at the time, told the righty-swinging Torres that he was rolling over too many pitches and hitting too many grounders to short and third. So Torres, who believes he’s at his best when he’s going the other way, worked with Urshela and their coach to correct that. “They know me really well, my swing, and we have a couple of different drills to get the swing right,” Torres said. While Torres noted that those drills continued with Yankees hitting coaches James Rowson and Pat Roessler after the All-Star break, he said having a fresh set of eyes from a friend like Urshela is “always good.” Urshela and Torres became close when the two played in the Bronx together from 2019-2021. They remained that way after the Yankees traded Urshela, a fan favorite, and Gary Sánchez to Minnesota in the deal that brought Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt to New York. While Urshela finished the 2024 season with the Braves, Torres went on a tear after the two got together. Torres slashed .293/.361/.419 with seven home runs, 28 RBI and a 124 wRC+ over 61 games between the end of the All-Star break and the end of the regular season. He also cemented himself as the Yankees’ leadoff hitter in front of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, hitting .313/.386/.454 after returning to the role on Aug. 16. “We’re looking at a good player that’s in the prime of his career that has gotten it going here over the last couple months,” Aaron Boone said. “I do feel like he’s in a really good place, playing focused yet very relaxed. So he’s been through a lot this year and come out on the other side. There’s a lot of satisfaction in that when you go through it as a player because it can be a grind. “I’m just proud of his perseverance because nothing about this year has been easy for him.” Torres has remained a productive force in the playoffs. While he was only hitting .211 over five games prior to the ALCS, he had a .400 on-base percentage, four hits, one double, one homer, three RBI and six walks. With such strong numbers since the All-Star break, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman recently wondered why Torres’ bat lacked earlier in the season. “He’s always been a professional, tremendously talented hitter,” Cashman said. “I’ve pondered, ‘Was it the trade deadline, and he got through that, and then all of a sudden decided [he could] settle in and relax?’ I really don’t have an answer to it, but the real question for me is, ‘What happened in the first four months?’ rather than, ‘What was he doing in the last two months?’ Because we’re used to seeing what he’s doing now.” On Tuesday, Torres acknowledged that his future had crossed his mind, calling this “one of the most important years for my career.” His name has come up in trade rumors the past few seasons and offseasons, and he’s going to be a free agent after the World Series. After seven major league seasons with the Yankees, his tenure could end with this playoff run. “I don’t want to say I struggled because I thought too much about free agency. It’s just like I try to do the right thing and nothing happened at the moment,” Torres said of his shortcomings this season, which also included more than a few mistakes in the field and on the bases. “For sure sometimes I think, if I don’t do right, maybe I’m not going to sign here, I’ll go to some other place. But I don’t feel any pressure at the moment. “If your entire organization believes in you, doesn’t trade you, they keep you, and they show you the love, you have to figure out a way to get better and help the team.” It’s unclear if the Yankees will show Torres any additional love this winter. He’s been with the franchise since he was 19, but the team will look to lower payroll while simultaneously retaining Juan Soto. With some second base prospects, including Caleb Durbin and Jorbit Vivas, waiting in the wings, you could even say it’s likely that Torres will end up elsewhere. His end-of-season play might be worth a qualifying offer from the Yankees, but he’ll want a multi-year deal. Fortunately for Torres, his strong to end to the season should help him recoup some of the money he cost himself in the first half. However, he’s not thinking about his personal goals just yet. He considers his Yankees teammates “family” after so many years in pinstripes, and he’d like to see the entire club’s season end with a parade, even if it’s the last thing he does with the Bombers. “I just try to do the right thing and worry about free agency after the season and hopefully after the World Series,” Torres said. “I just try to do the best I can do to bring a World Series here and hopefully win it together.”