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Yankees: NYY make shocking demotions after Wednesday doubleheader

Adam Weinrib
Adam Weinrib

Yanks Go Yard

Miguel Andujar #41 of the New York Yankees stands in the dugout. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The Yankees demoted three players, including 2018 ROY runner-up Miguel Andujar, to the Alternate Site.

The Yankees had some difficult roster decisions ahead of them this week, needing to clear a pair of players off their 30-man roster to get in line with a league-wide reduction. Without the need to get down to 26 at any point (MLB put the kibosh on that this week), this was the final big roster alteration of 2020.

Instead, the Yankees chose to outright three men to Scranton, and if this had happened prior to Wednesday’s doubleheader with the Phillies, we absolutely would not have believed you.

Thairo Estrada, who unfortunately hasn’t found his niche on the roster in 2020, usurped by Tyler Wade in terms of versatility, will be making the trip. Joining him? Nick Nelson, who followed his sterling debut against the Red Sox with a hard-luck stinker on Wednesday, as well as … Miguel Andujar.

The New York Yankees demoted Miguel Andujar on Thursday morning.

What’s the word for something that’s depressing, but also makes perfect sense?

Also, does a three-man demotion rather than two indicate that Aroldis Chapman’s slow return is around the corner?

We all wanted Andujar to emerge in 2020 hitting barrels off the left- and right-field walls, but by and large, his timing still felt off as soon as the simulated games ended.

Last year, while nursing a shoulder injury, he looked weak. This season, he just looked anxious.

Quite frankly, there were barely enough at-bats for Mike Tauchman and Gio Urshela in a world in which Andujar also gets his fair share. Both of those men are hitting the cover off the ball. What’s the use of trotting out someone who may be a left fielder when you have the patient Tauchman as an alternative?

If we didn’t make exceptions for Clint Frazier, why should we do so for Andujar?

Unfortunately, the Yankees’ faith in Andujar’s bat has not been rewarded, and his trade value has now unintentionally been tanked, though the NYY tried to get him the requisite ABs.

In sporadic duty, Andujar hit just .071, and looked every bit of it.

But hey, things can change on you quickly in this game. Just ask Nick Nelson. On Saturday, we anointed him the new Mayor of Boston. On Wednesday, he was staring at incomplete double plays and bleeders in disbelief, as his ERA rose.

Thursday? Back to Scranton.

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib is a Content Director on the FanSided network, and has been the co-editor at Yanks Go Yard for 6 years. He also co-hosts The Baseball Insiders Podcast thrice weekly, alongside FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, as well as the Yanks Go Yard Podcast. Previously, he was a Senior Editor at 12up.com, and has been covering MLB and NFL for 10 years. He was also a headline and features contributor at ClickHole and Onion Sports, as well as the Associate Producer of the ESPN 30 for 30 film "Believeland". An avowed fan of the New York sports teams -- specifically the Yankees -- as well as the North Carolina Tar Heels, you can find Adam complaining mid-game on Twitter, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn if the game goes really poorly.