Detroit Tigers president Scott Harris talks Gleyber Torres contract
Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris talks to reporters December 27, 2024, about signing Gleyber Torres in free agency.
Gleyber Torres needs surgery.
The Detroit Tigers‘ second baseman will undergo surgery for a hernia, which impacted him for at least the past month. Despite the pain, he played the final weeks of the regular season and into the postseason without a stint on the injured list.
The surgery will take place soon in Tampa.
“We did whatever we could do in the moment to keep me playing every day,” Torres said Friday, Oct. 10, after the Tigers’ 3-2 season-ending loss to the Seattle Mariners in Game 5 of the ALDS. “It was not easy, but I can play with pain, so it was no big deal.”
The 28-year-old is set to become a free agent in November after signing a one-year, $15 million contract, though the Tigers could extend the one-year qualifying offer — valued at approximately $22 million — in an attempt to keep him for the 2026 season.
Torres is interested in staying with the Tigers.
He also has goals of securing a contract worth at least $100 million in free agency. He projects to be the most coveted second baseman on the free-agent market.
“Let’s see what it’s going to be — I don’t know,” said Torres, who started at second base for the AL in the All-Star Game. “I haven’t talked with my agent yet. Hopefully, we will have a really good conversation here. I feel really good with this group. Since the first day, I felt at home. It was really special this year. Let’s see what it’s going to be for my future.”
It’s unclear when Torres suffered the hernia. But the injury impacted his performance.
In 2025, Torres hit .256 with 16 home runs, 85 walks and 101 strikeouts across 145 games in the regular season. He hit .281 with an .812 OPS in 84 games in the first half, then .223 with a .659 OPS in 61 games in the second half.
“I was not really good in the second half,” Torres said. “I was in a lot of pain. We did a really good job of keeping me playing. It wasn’t about the numbers. It was about playing every day.”
His worst month occurred while playing through the hernia.
He hit .209 with a .631 OPS in September.
“I’ve been playing with a hernia for about a month,” Torres said. “I’m the player that’s going to do everything for the team. It’s no excuse. I’m want to say thank you to the trainers, the medical staff. We worked really hard to keep me playing every day.”
Torres hit .235 (8-for-34) with one home run, three walks and 10 strikeouts across eight games in the 2025 postseason, spanning 38 plate appearances. The Tigers defeated the Cleveland Guardians in the AL wild-card series, but lost to the Mariners in the ALDS.
He hit .154 in the AL wild card and .286 in the ALDS.
Torres went 0-for-6 with one walk and two strikeouts in the 15-inning Game 5 of the ALDS.
“I’ve been in the postseason many times,” Torres said, reflecting on losing Game 5 of the ALDS. “I wanted to do the job. Every opportunity I got tonight, I didn’t do the job. I really feel frustration because I want to do everything for the team, and unfortunately, I didn’t do anything. I’m disappointed.”
In his eight-year MLB career, Torres has played for the Yankees (2018-24) and the Tigers (2025) — hitting .264 with a .770 OPS across 1,033 games in the big leagues. He made the All-Star Game three times: 2018 and 2019 with the Yankees, then 2025 with the Tigers.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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