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Aaron Boone's Gleyber Torres message makes All-Star Game even sweeter for Tigers fans

New York's loss is Detroit's gain.
Emma Lingan
Emma Lingan

Motor City Bengals

San Francisco Giants v Detroit Tigers / Duane Burleson/GettyImages

When Gleyber Torres left the New York Yankees in free agency after the 2024 season, it wasn't exactly an amicable split.

There were years of disappointment and underperformance from the second baseman, followed by comments from general manager Brian Cashman about Torres' supposed refusal to move to third base after the Yankees acquired Jazz Chisholm Jr. at the trade deadline last season. Torres had been open about his frustrations on social media and in interviews, leading to an even more contentious relationship with Yankees management.

After the Yankees lost the World Series, Torres claimed he didn't hear a word from Cashman or manager Aaron Boone. He left unceremoniously in free agency and signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the Detroit Tigers on Dec. 27.

Now, more than six months later, Torres is representing the Tigers at the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, where he will be starting at second base and batting leadoff for the American League squad – managed by none other than Boone.

Aaron Boone's Gleyber Torres message to Yankees makes All-Star Game even sweeter for Tigers fans

In addition to awarding Torres the leadoff spot while putting Aaron Judge (the only Yankees player in the starting lineup) in the three-hole, Boone offered Torres some overdue praise during this week's MLB All-Star festivities in Atlanta.

“He’s had an outstanding year for what’s been the best record in the American League so far, the Detroit Tigers,” Boone said during All-Star media availability. “He’s been a tone-setter for them at the top, getting on base at an amazing clip.”

In addition to reaching base at a .387 clip, Torres is enjoying the best offensive season of his career – a career that, up until this point, had been spent entirely as a member of the Yankees. Now with the Tigers, he is batting .281 with nine home runs to help lead Detroit to the top of the league as they carry their momentum dating back to the middle of August last year.

Boone's praise of Torres certainly hits a little differently considering how things ended for him in New York. For now, though, the Yankees' loss is the Tigers' gain. And these are just some more notes for Tigers fans to take in preparation of a potential playoff matchup vs New York.

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Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.