Yankees: Brandon Drury sent down to Triple-A again

Less than two weeks after finally being called back up to the Yankees big league roster, Brandon Drury was once again sent back to Triple-A on Monday.

Following Monday’s awful game one loss of their doubleheader with the Orioles the Yankees had to make a move to clear up a roster spot for Game 2 starter Luis Cessa. We knew it was going to be a position player who’d be demoted, but I certainly didn’t expect that player would be Brandon Drury.

Once he was called up for the Red Sox series on June 29th it seemed like he was here to stay and that he would get the opportunity to earn consistent at-bats. That looked even more likely once rookie All-Star Gleyber Torres went on the DL with a hip strain. With Neil Walker still struggling to get his average above .200 and Drury more than capable of playing second base he was the best option to fill in for Torres.

Tyler Wade was also recalled this past weekend to provide more infield depth but we’ve seen him really struggle with the bat at the big league level. It’s likely that he was kept on the roster because he can also play shortstop, unlike Drury. Clint Frazier was called up last week as well and figured to be the odd man out to clear up a spot for Cessa. The Yankees already have four outfielders so there isn’t a pressing need for him on the 25-man roster right now.

Frazier deserves to be in the big leagues but so does Drury, especially because of his versatility. Before Torres went down Drury got a couple of starts at first base against left-handed starters instead of Greg Bird who has failed to live up to expectations all season. Bird is hitting .203 and slugging .398. Drury himself was only hitting .178 in 45 at-bats this season prior to his demotion, but he wasn’t getting them consistently.

At Triple-A, Drury was an International League All-Star, hitting .314 with a .907 OPS. It’s obvious he doesn’t belong at the minor league level. Aaron Boone knows that, but that didn’t stop him or Brian Cashman from sending him back to Scranton for the second time this season. Here’s Boone talking about how Drury’s demotion was “another one of those awful decisions” (to have to make).

Per Erik Boland of Newsday:

“It’s terrible news to have to give a guy that’s a big-leaguer,” Boone said. “He doesn’t belong there, but it’s unfortunately the situation right now. All we can do is encourage him to make the absolute best out of the situation. He’s done a good job of that all year.”

Clearly, Boone didn’t want to have to send Drury back down which make it’s harder to understand why he didn’t give him more playing time upon his call-up in the first place. Considering how much both Bird and Walker have struggled for over a month now shouldn’t the Yankees at least have given Drury more opportunities to produce at either first or second?

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Fortunately, Torres should be back after the All-Star break, but after he got injured it was the perfect time to give Drury the playing time he deserves. Now there’s no telling when we might see him back in the big leagues again and whether or not that will come in a Yankee uniform.

The fact that Drury was the one demoted tells me there’s a good chance he could be traded soon for a starting pitcher if management truly believes that Walker and Bird are better options.

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We should find out soon what the future holds for Drury with the trade deadline only a few weeks away. But in the meantime, you can’t help but feel bad for him with how his season has played out up to this point.