Yankees GM Brian Cashman Says Miguel Andujar Will Take Reps at Other Positions During Spring Training
By Michael Luciano
The Miguel Andujar experiment has taken another crazy turn, as the Yankees appear to be abandoning the possibility of him playing third base as his main position.
General manager Brian Cashman confirmed that Andujar will take reps at first base and left field (in addition to third) during Spring Training, in a likely attempt for the Yankees to maximize their opportunities to get his bat into the lineup as often as possible.
ICYMI: Miguel Andujar has been told to prepare for spring reps at 1B and LF in addition to 3B, Brian Cashman told the @YESNetwork yesterday.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) January 24, 2020
Calling Andujar's 2019 a nightmare is being extremely generous. He only played in 12 games due to injury and managed just six hits (all singles) in 47 at-bats, good for a .128 average, while continuing to play below-average defense at third base. Furthermore, he got Wally Pipped by Gio Urshela, who provided exemplary offense and defense.
Still, Andujar almost beat out Shohei Ohtani for Rookie of the Year, which shows the type of player he can be when he's fully healthy.
#Yankees tell Miguel Andujar to learn new positions, and he needs to do so fast or else … https://t.co/Ft71wUVjxG
— Randy Miller (@RandyJMiller) January 24, 2020
Andujar appears to be a lost cause at third base, but the Yankees remain too enticed by his performance with the bat to give up on him and trade him away. He better find somewhere that he can play at least passable defense, however, or the Yankees might run out of options with the former rookie sensation.