What it really means when white sportswriters talk about lack of hustle

Torres did not run hard on a check-swing tapper back to the mound, it’s true. You can understand his frustration, being 11-for-59 on the season with no homers and 15 strikeouts, while also struggling defensively at shortstop.

At the same time, it’s 17 games into the season. Torres is a two-time All-Star, already at the age of 24. He’ll break out of it in time, as will the Yankees from their teamwide malaise. It’s tough to watch in the meantime, but it’s just about patience.

Or, for Andy Martino of SNY, Torres can be made the scapegoat. The idea here is that “It’s not a birthright to start games for the New York Yankees, even if you’re one of the most talented players on the team. It might be worth a shot for the front office to remind the entire group that these jobs must be earned on a daily basis.”

That’s right, the Yankees should send Torres to the minor league alternate site, and install Tyler Wade, an objectively worse player, at shortstop, in order to cure their slow start.

“The Yankees’ problems are not nearly all Torres’ fault,” Martino wrote. “But he’s optionable, struggling, and showing a lack of hustle.”

The language of “not a birthright” borders on a dog whistle. “Lack of hustle,” well, that’s giving up the game on how baseball works when it’s time to find someone to shoulder the blame for an entire team’s woes.