No matter what else is going on with the Yankees these days, Gleyber Torres keeps producing at the top of the lineup.
It continued Tuesday, when Torres picked up three more hits in a 6-3 win over Cleveland in Game 2 of the ALCS in The Bronx.
It started with a double to open the bottom of the first and Torres scored on an error by shortstop Brayan Rocchio on Aaron Judge’s harmless-looking pop fly.
Torres singled again in the fourth and seventh innings, as he reached base multiple times for the fifth time in six games this postseason.
It’s part of his second-half resurgence that has bolstered the Yankees season, as well as his own future as he heads into free agency for the first time.
“He’s just been a complete catalyst for us,” Aaron Boone said. “Good at-bat after good at-bat, really consistently day in and day out now for going on a few months. That’s who he is. That’s the kind of player he is. That’s the kind of hitter he is, but he’s been enormous for us.”
That’s been true in the playoffs and the Yankees have needed it, with middle of the order hitters like Judge and Austin Wells struggling.
In 61 games after the break, Torres returned to being the hitter the Yankees were banking on, batting .293 with a .780 OPS.
Torres has reached base 13 times in 30 plate appearances through his first five games.
Along the way, Boone bumped Torres back up to the leadoff spot where he has become a consistent force in front of Juan Soto and Judge, both in putting together long, quality at-bats but also being aggressive and pouncing on pitches with which he can do damage.
His goal now is simple.
“I know I have really good players behind me,’’ Torres said. “And to get the responsibility to be leadoff is huge for me, so I just try to do the right thing and worry about free agency after the season and hopefully after the World Series.’’
Left unsaid is that Torres could be playing in the World Series for the first time.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Yankees in the postseason:
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- Aaron Judge sends Yankee Stadium into a frenzy with drought-busting homer
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Before the game, Torres acknowledged the pressure of the season got to him at certain points.
“For sure sometimes I [thought], ‘If I don’t do [well], maybe I’m not going to sign here, I go to some other place,’ ” Torres said. “But I don’t feel any pressure at the moment. I just feel pressure on myself to do the right thing because the last two years I’ve been playing good, decent, and this year is one of the most important years for my career.”
Those struggles — and a midseason benching by Boone — seem a distant memory, as Torres has delivered plenty of clutch hits and so far avoided the mindless mistakes that have plagued him occasionally during his time with the Yankees.
