The Yankees dealt with significant injuries in 2019, losing nearly their entire outfield for a majority of the campaign. However, the infield did not escape the injury bug either, as the first base position was rotating between Luke Voit, Mike Ford, and DJ LeMahieu. Factor in Didi Gregorius missing the beginning portion of the season as he rehabbed from Tommy John surgery, and Miguel Andujar’s torn Labrum, and the Yankees were stripped of essential playing time from their best players.
The loss of some created opportunities for others, though, as options like Gio Urshela, Brett Gardner, Mike Tauchman, and Cameron Maybin set career-highs in several categories. Most of the players mentioned above will return to the Yankees in 2020, aside from Maybin, giving the team a solid foundation of reserve options.
Andujar, though, has been a rumored trade piece for star relief pitcher Josh Hader. The third baseman’s return to the field has been long after Labrum surgery, but he has begun working out and throwing from the hot corner.
Manager Aaron Boone is confident he will be 100% healthy for the start of spring training.
“[Andujar] is doing really well,’’ Boone said Friday at Yankee Stadium. “I expect him to be ready to go for spring training.’’
“His shoulder has been feeling good and there’s no reason to believe he won’t be full bore for spring training,†Boone said.
https://twitter.com/lindseyadler/status/1197236561496231936
Miguel Andujar doing some work at GMS pic.twitter.com/T5bwOdH54A
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) February 18, 2019
https://twitter.com/audruhhhh/status/1191844609024024576
These progress videos are essential to his return and will give him the time required to get up to full speed. After hitting .297 in his rookie season with 27 homers and 47 doubles, Andujar backed up the performance with a dud in 2019, missing the entire campaign virtually.
In his third season, we should expect him to feature in a designated hitter role for the most part, at the expense of his defensive deficiencies. Urshela will get the first crack a the hot corner moving forward.