Yankees are benching Miguel Andujar at the worst possible time

Miguel Andujar has struggled mightily against the Red Sox in this series, but now is not the time to bench the talented rookie.

Aaron Boone started Luis Severino in the Wild Card game, in part, to establish him as an integral part of the Yankees core. The rookie manager has failed to give his rookie third baseman the same benefit of the doubt.

Instead, Andujar will start Game 4 of the ALDS on the bench. Neil Walker will take his place at third base and in the batting order. It’s possible that Walker can have a big game against the Red Sox, but this is a poor managerial decision by Boone.

In fairness, Andujar has failed to make an impact with the bat in this series. He’s only one for nine with one total base in the first three games. Given his defensive deficiencies, he’s only really an asset to the team when he’s hitting the ball well.

It’s also true that Walker has started most of CC Sabathia’s starts down the stretch. The general idea is that Walker is a better fielder who can handle the plethora of ground balls that Sabathia will produce when he’s at his best. There’s certainly valuable logic to that line of thinking.

When you add everything up it’s still the wrong call. No offense to Walker, but his offensive ceiling is well below what Andujar is capable of. The rookie absolutely mashed the ball for most of the season. He didn’t break Joe DiMaggio’s record for doubles by a Yankees rookie by accident. He has the ability to win a game on his own when he’s swinging a hot bat.

There’s no reason Game 4 could not have proven to be his breakout game at the plate. Rick Porcello would pose a challenge to Andujar, but his stuff isn’t good enough to overpower him. Boone should have stuck with the player who really helped him make it this far into the postseason. That’s clearly Andujar over Walker.

Even if you think Walker gives the Yankees a slightly better chance to win tonight, he’s not going to be a huge part of this club’s future. That’s the real reason why sticking with Andujar would have been the right choice. Boone needs him to grow into an All-Star caliber player if he wants to win a World Series in the near future. Benching him in an elimination game is going to deal a serious blow to his confidence.

At best, Walker can help the Yankees earn a trip back to Fenway for Game 5. If that happens, it still comes at a significant cost for Andujar’s future. It’s simply not a price Boone should be willing to pay for such a marginal lift in one game.