Yankees may be set to recall Brandon Drury
Brandon Drury has been tearing it up in the minors and it might pay off this weekend. The New York Yankees may recall him ahead of the Boston Red Sox series.
New York Yankees fans have been clamoring for Brandon Drury to return to the major league for weeks. Their collective voices haven’t been enough to force a move, but the three left-handed starting pitchers the Boston Red Sox plan to deploy against New York this weekend might do the trick.
Aaron Boone claims the team hasn’t decided which position player they will call up this weekend yet. The Yankees sent Luis Cessa down to the minors immediately after his poor outing in Philadelphia. The plan was always to bring another bat up to help boost the offensive options against the Red Sox this weekend.
In the end, it will likely come down to a choice between Drury and Tyler Austin. Frankly, it shouldn’t be much of a decision. Drury is the more accomplished player at the major league level and he’s certainly been outperforming Austin in the minors this season. It would be a significant surprise to see Austin get the nod.
Aaron Boone tells @WFAN660 that the #Yankees haven't decided which position player will be called up this weekend (Red Sox starting three left-handers). Boone says Brandon Drury and Tyler Austin are options.
— Tom Hanslin (@TomHanslin) June 28, 2018
Drury is hitting .315 in AAA this season compared to Austin’s mark of just .233. Both players are roughly the same age (25 and 26), so there’s no appreciable difference there. Drury also has the advantage of offering Boone more positional versatility than Austin. It’s hard to imagine any logical explanation for Austin coming up instead.
The real question is whether or not Drury can turn a weekend call-up into a longer stay in the Bronx. He should have a legitimate chance to take over Neil Walker’s role for the team. The 32-year-old veteran is mired in an awful slump at the moment and he doesn’t offer the same upside that Drury does. Walker might be great in the clubhouse, but he’s been pretty awful at the plate.
If Drury doesn’t come up this weekend it may be a sign the team are ready to deal him. Plenty of clubs would like to acquire a player with his talent and experience. He could easily be included in a deal to acquire a starting pitcher.
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Brandon Drury will have a much better idea of how he fits into the Yankees’ plans for the season after this weekend. He’ll hope he gets the opportunity to parlay meaningful playing time against Boston into a permanent role with the team.