The Yankees will need to find a replacement at shortstop while Didi Gregorius recovers from Tommy John surgery through at least the first half of the 2019 season.

Gleyber Torres may be the player to fill the void, but the second baseman's agent says Torres would be ready to take over full-time at shortstop if necessary.

"I think he would, wouldn't you?" Alan Nero said at the GM Meetings in California on Tuesday, per NJ.com's Brendan Kuty. "He just wants to play."

Nero added that he believes Torres is preparing for that possibility, even if he ends up back at second in June, which is when the Yankees are hoping Gregorius will return.

The 21-year-old Torres enjoyed a stellar 2018 season in the Bronx, earning a nod this week as a finalist for the AL Rookie of the Year award along with Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar. Torres hit .271 with 24 home runs, 77 RBI and an .820 OPS in 123 games. He filled in at shortstop in 21 of those appearances while committing five errors.

Torres played shortstop through the Cubs' minor-league system before he was dealt to the Yankees in 2016 in a trade that sent Aroldis Chapman to Chicago.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman could decide to sign or trade for a more experienced shortstop in Gregorius' absence, or he could leave Torres with the job ahead of teammates Tyler Wade and Ronald Torreyes.

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