Yankees: A brief demotion could do Miguel Andujar some good

With Aaron Hicks expected to re-join the Yankees 25-man roster on Monday, some have speculated that optioning Miguel Andujar to make room, would be wise to get the struggling slugger back on track.

I have long held the belief that a player can’t work their way out of a slump from the bench. And although Miguel Andujar’s struggles at the plate have only taken place since coming off the IL on May 4, you have to wonder how long the Yankees will let him work it out at the major league level.

This is something none of us could have seen — that the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up would be hitting a paltry .088 (3-for-34) in his last nine games, which includes going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in Sunday’s 7-1 win over the Rays.

Having put just 35 percent of balls in play, I genuinely believe that Andujar’s partially torn labrum is affecting his ability to hit — both from a physical and mental standpoint.

While Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton remain out indefinitely, Aaron Hicks is scheduled to return from a lengthy IL stint on Monday.

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Therefore, the Yankees could still trot out Andujar as the DH and hope he catches lightning in a bottle before the big boppers return.

However, as long as Gio Ursehla continues to expand his cult hero status — and by that I mean, stay healthy and come through in clutch situations (which he did twice last week), there is little reason to suggest Andujar is deserving of taking back third base anytime soon.

But what if Andujar continues to struggle to the point of no return this season? Aren’t the Yankees doing more harm than good? I’m no doctor, but avoiding surgery for torn labrum by limiting throwing is a bandaid that will eventually fall off.

I love Andujar’s bat, and I genuinely do believe the club will eventually figure out his most optimal position on the field, but by delaying surgery, you’re hindering his return to what we all became accustomed to last season.

While I in no way subscribe to the theory that he was a one-season wonder, I selfishly want Andujar to take the season-ending surgery so that he’s 100 percent ready for the 2020 campaign.

Ursehla is more than doing the job — and even if he does come back down to Earth with the bat, 23-year-old Thairo Estrada has been more than complimentary: .286/.310/.500 with two home runs, and four RBIs in 30 plate appearances.

As Joel Sherman recently suggested, a brief demotion to the minors could sort out some of Andujar’s issues.

"I wonder if, like Chad Green, Miguel Andujar would benefit from a re-set at AAA. A talented kid who is now not playing 3b and seems to be trying to prove himself with each AB."

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Whether Andujar is merely pressing because he knows that sooner or later the Yankees will need to decide on the roster spot he is taking up, or is genuinely injured, spending some time at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre would allow Andujar to potentially find his groove or his way to the operating table.

Either way, something needs to change soon.

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