5 Yankees who might have trouble keeping 40-man roster spot

2. Miguel Andújar

When Miguel Andújar was tendered a contract, you gasped. Don’t lie. This team released Clint Frazier and not Andújar! They are willing to pay a position-less player with an underwhelming bat close to $2 million in 2022! Why?!

Andújar’s career was upended when he injured his shoulder in 2019 and paved the way for Gio Urshela to become a star (but now he’s apparently fallen out of favor, so what does this team really have?). That forced the Yankees to try Andújar in the outfield, which was a disastrous experiment. He might’ve only had one error, but we guess misplays and poor instincts aren’t accounted for as much as they should be in advanced defensive metrics.

The 2021 Yankees, at one point, had Andújar and Frazier starting multiple games in the corner outfield spots. And most of us lived through that. In the end, bad defense is ultimately fine if you’re making up for it on offense, but Andújar has been a shell of his former 2018 self. Over his last 66 games between 2020 and 2021, he’s batting .250 with 12 extra-base hits, which leaves his OPS in the mid .600s. Bad.

It’s a shame how this has all transpired. Andújar was supposed to be another Baby Bomber, but he’s flamed out fast, and another outfield signing or infield addition could probably get him traded for anything just so the Yankees can save that couple million (every cent counts nowadays in this version of New York!).

Please, spare us him getting reps at first base at all costs.