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The Yankees are sending Miguel Andujar down but aren’t giving up on him

By Rucker Haringey

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 20: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Miguel Andujar #41 of the New York Yankees in action against the Philadelphia Phillies during a Summer Camp game at Yankee Stadium on July 20, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 20: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Miguel Andujar #41 of the New York Yankees in action against the Philadelphia Phillies during a Summer Camp game at Yankee Stadium on July 20, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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The Yankees decision to send Miguel Andujar down means they don’t think he can help them win games right now. It’s not an indictment on his future.

Miguel Andujar began his 2020 season with hopes that he could put his disastrous 2019 campaign behind him. Instead, his 1-for-14 start at the plate has earned the 25-year-old slugger a demotion to the Yankees‘ alternate facility.

It’s easy to view the move as a sign that Brian Cashman and his front office are giving up on Andujar as a player. Sending a player of his age and experience down to the minors is not an ideal scenario by any stretch of the imagination. It’s not something Andujar or anyone inside the Yankees organization wanted to occur.

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This move doesn’t shut the door on Andujar’s future with the franchise though. He is a hitter that clearly needs significant repetitions at the plate if he’s going to regain the swing that made him a doubles machine in his rookie season. He wasn’t going to get the at-bats required at the major league level given the talent the Yankees possess.

It’s not uncommon for players who miss an entire season due to injury to struggle to shake off their rust. Andujar’s journey back to the majors was complicated by his need to learn multiple new positions in the field. He broke into the majors as a third baseman, but the Yankees have asked him to learn to play first base and multiple outfield spots to help him find a regular spot in the lineup.

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The key for Andujar now is to go to Scranton and put in the hard work required to rebuild both his swing and his confidence. The emergence of Mike Tauchman as a high-quality fourth outfielder is going to make it difficult for Andujar to get back to the Bronx quickly. He needs to approach his demotion by taking the long view. The Yankees haven’t given up on him but it’s imperative that Andujar keeps faith in himself until he earns a return to the majors.

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