Yankees reassign Miguel Andujar to Triple-A Scranton

Yankees No. 4 prospect Miguel Andujar turned some heads this spring. And although he’s headed back to the minors, there’s no doubt he’s uber important to the future of the organization.

With 11 days to go until opening day in Toronto, the Yankees made the difficult decision to send Miguel Andujar to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The 23-year-old Andujar exploded out of the gate this spring but eventually came back down to Earth, putting together a .262/.273/.643 slash line with four home runs and 10 RBI in 42 at-bats (14 games).

The move allows Andy time to continue refining his much-improved defense (no errors this spring) while keeping his bat ready should something happen to likely big league starting third baseman, Brandon Drury.

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As opposing teams began to figure out the third baseman with the electric bat, they started pitching Andujar inside on the hands, which kept him from extending his powerful arms and truly driving the ball.

Though Andujar does have a good grasp of the strike zone, like any young slugger, frustration caused him to chase balls he should lay off. Now he needs to learn to make adjustments on the fly. That’s when he’ll truly be ready for the next level.

Manager Aaron Boone spoke glowingly about Andujar to George A. King III of the NY Post.

"“It’s difficult to send [out] a guy like him. You know he is going to be a really good player,’’ Aaron Boone said of Andujar. “He came in here with a need to perform and he absolutely did on both sides of the ball. He really played well defensively and everyone got a peek at the kind of hitter we think he is going to be. It won’t be too long before he is up here for good.’’"

As for Drury, who seemed a long shot to nab hot corner duties when the Yankees acquired him on Feb. 20, the 25-year-old infielder played as well as advertised this spring.

To this point of camp, Drury has amassed a .289/.386/.500 slash line with one homer and five RBI in 38 at-bats (14 games). Many within the Yankee organization believe Drury has yet to scratch his potential truly.

Having already amassed 289 games of major league experience while quieting any doubts about his ability to hold down the hot corner (did you see his diving grab off the bat of Miguel Cabrera on Saturday?), Drury is the safe bet headed into a season where it’s World Series appearance or bust.

Notice I didn’t say World Series victory.

There’s no doubt in my mind Andujar will be the first man up should injury or slump arise in the Bronx. However, I’d like to see him get a consistent chance to prove he’s the third baseman of the future before next winter when the Yankees potentially prepare an audacious $400 million bid for Manny Machado.

Next: Severino named opening day starter

Honestly, there may be no need to spend that type of money on a player that isn’t crucial. After all, Andujar did just receive the 2017 Kevin Lawn Award as the Yankees’ Minor League “Player of the Year.” So what’s next?

Yankees No. 4 prospect Miguel Andujar turned some heads this spring. And although he’s headed back to the minors, there’s no doubt he’s uber important to the future of the organization.

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