Yankees’ Miguel Andújar reportedly robbed at gunpoint in Dominican Republic

The New York Yankees are gearing up for an incredibly important free agency/trade period that will last a couple of weeks before the start of the 2022 MLB season.

The MLB lockout ended on Thursday, which now has everyone thrilled for the Yanks-Red Sox Opening Day matchup on April 7. Unfortunately, that was quickly compromised by an unfortunate occurrence involving Miguel Andújar.

According to multiple outlets, including ESPN Deportes, Andújar was robbed at gunpoint on his farm in the Dominican Republic late Wednesday night. A terrifying turn of events put Andújar in grave danger, but luckily he’s OK.

The two assailants that allegedly committed the crime were said to have robbed Andújar of a gold chain on his neck that was worth around $7,000. It was then added that Andújar was beaten by the criminals, who fired a gun and struck someone else on Andújar’s property in the finger. The report notes he had three relatives on his farm in San Cristobal.

That’s all of the available information at this point and we’ll continue to update this article as more becomes available.

Right now, he’s scheduled to arrive in Tampa on Saturday and join the Yankees at spring training.

Yankees Miguel Andújar was reportedly a victim of assault in the Dominican Republic

The Yankees’ plan with Andújar was already murky, since he’s failed to latch on as a contributor since his Rookie of the Year runner up campaign in 2018. A shoulder injury shelved him for 2019 and then Gio Urshela took his job, which upended everything.

That led to his agent calling out the Yankees in 2020 when Andújar was optioned to Triple-A Scranton multiple times. Then came 2021 when the experiment with him as a corner outfielder failed. His bat never got going, and he appeared in just 45 games, with a wrist injury pretty much ending his season.

He’s still being rumored as a trade candidate, though, despite the Yankees opting to tender him a contract (for $1.7 million) rather than releasing him back in the beginning of December. As of now, there’s no clear path for him to receive reps on the Yankees’ big league roster, with both the infield and outfield full with entrenched starters. It’s also safe to say his defensive woes won’t be trusted even as a backup option.

For now, though, the utmost importance is Andújar’s safety after this traumatic event.

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