Clearly, New York Yankees youth star, Miguel Andujar, is more than capable of hitting as his normal self, going 3-for-5 in an extended spring training game last weekend. The problem is his fielding, and if he can make the throws from third-base across the diamond.
A partial labrum tear has limited his throwing motion and forced the Yankees to be cautious with overworking him as he rehabs. Hitting isn’t too physically tasking for him at this point, and he’s edging closer towards a possible return.
The expectation is – if Andujar can successfully make the throws he could be available to start as soon as the upcoming weekend. However, that’s dependent on Gio Urshela and if he will miss any time. Urshela has been fantastic as of late but was plunked by a fastball on the left hand on Sunday. Luckily, x-rays returned negative providing a big sigh of relief for the fan-base.
Gio’s defensive abilities have been elite and he’s hitting an impressive .351 over 20 games. However, Andujar is the starter and will likely join the team and fill the role immediately.
The New York Yankees would be smart to ease Andujar back into the lineup:
Personally, I believe the Bombers should take a more conservative approach with Miguel, utilizing him as a designated hitter and keeping Urshela at third – his defensive abilities are far superior to Andujar. For example, Gio has already turned 7 double plays in 20 games while Andujar turned just 6 all of last season.
Andujar is making the right steps in his rehab:
Being that the Single-A Tampa Tarpons are off on Monday, Andujar will feature in his third extended spring game instead.
“If it goes well, he will probably play for the Tarpons starting Tuesday,’’ Boone said.