Yankees: Now not the time to move Miguel Andujar to first base
Still rehabbing from a tear in his right labrum, the Yankees have floated the idea of moving Miguel Andujar across the diamond to first base. However, he’s never before played the position and learning to do so in-season is not the time.
The notion of shifting Miguel Andujar from his primary position of third base to first isn’t a new concept. Following 15 errors committed during his Yankees rookie season, many suggested such a move would suit his unorthodox throwing style.
Now add in the fact that Andujar is rehabbing a slight tear in his right labrum and the “move Andujar movement” has again picked up steam.
And so on Thursday, Andujar took batting practice hacks at “90-95 percent effort,” and reported no issues other than normal soreness. With that, the possibility remains that Andujar could make his return to the everyday lineup sometime this season, either as the DH or at first base.
Manager Aaron Boone told Brendan Kuty of NJ.com:
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"“We’re kind of trying to get through these rehab days, seeing where we could get to from a throwing standpoint and then make those evaluations. But that’ll be probably in the conversation somewhere.”"
Even still, Andujar won’t begin throwing from across the diamond until early next week. Should the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up experience zero setbacks, a minor league rehab assignment would be in the cards.
However, should Andujar suffer any sort of pain in his throwing shoulder, the Yankees should make the wise decision and allow the 24-year-old to undergo season-ending surgery to get back in time for the start of the 2020 campaign.
I understand that by all accounts, the torn labrum “should” have no effect on his ability to drive the ball, but without a corrective procedure, the injury won’t heal to the point of it being a non-factor.
Despite Andujar indicating that his recuperation has gone very well, he is still keeping his expectations realistic, as he told Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com through an interpreter.
"Practicing and taking groundballs and hitting in the cage is completely different from game action,’’ Andujar added. “We’ll see what happens.’’"
While I have been an advocate of possibly moving Andujar to first base, doing so in-season is not the way to go.
First of all, he’ll still have to make throws from first base — not nearly as many as he would from third but the Yanks can ill-afford a Jeff Bagwell-like situation.
Secondly, Andujar, who has been with the Yankees organization since 2012, has never played any position other than third base. Therefore, he would need ample time to learn the nuances of the position — the footwork, throwing from a different angle, etc.
A solid defender at first is something many people take for granted. Luke Voit made a point of bettering himself around the bag this past offseason, and so far, he looks much more confident and nimble.
Let Andujar go under the knife and recover for as many months as it takes. Then if the club still isn’t sold on Voit as their first baseman of the future, or doesn’t acquire a legit defender before the trade deadline, then work with Andujar all winter-long on what it takes to play first.
He’s a young athlete, and when healthy, should be able to make the transition
Finally, yes, getting Andujar’s electric bat in the lineup would be a significant plus for a club that is struggling to score runs early this season consistently. However, deploying him while already injured, anywhere on the field comes with higher inherent risk. After all, he hurt himself diving into a bag, not making a throw.
The Yankees need to decide if getting Andujar back now is worth potentially jeopardizing his future.