The Yankees introduced they’ve designated Miguel Andújar for task. The transfer clears a spot on the 40-man roster for Zack Britton, who has been reinstated from the 60-day injured listing. To open a spot for Britton on the lively roster, New York positioned southpaw Wandy Peralta on the 15-day IL, retroactive to September 19, with thoracic backbone tightness.
Andújar’s designation is prone to carry an finish to his time as a Yankee. Signed as an novice free agent again in 2011, he developed into one of many group’s higher prospects just a few years later. Andújar hit nicely on his approach up the minor league ladder, incomes a cup of espresso late within the 2017 season. The precise-handed hitter was extensively regarded among the many sport’s high prospects heading into 2018, and he in a short time seized the job as New York’s main third baseman.
Throughout his age-23 rookie season, Andújar hit .297/.328/.527 by means of 606 plate appearances. He related on 27 house runs and 47 doubles, tying for third within the majors within the latter class. It wasn’t a flawless season — he didn’t stroll a lot and his defensive marks had been subpar — however it was an unquestionably spectacular effort that regarded as if it’d cement him in the course of the Yankees order for years to return. He picked up a second place end in that yr’s American League Rookie of the 12 months balloting, accumulating the 5 first-place votes that didn’t go to Shohei Ohtani.
Spectacular as that debut season was, Andújar hasn’t gotten an prolonged probability to construct upon it within the 4 years since then. That’s largely because of damage, as he suffered a labrum tear in his proper shoulder early within the 2019 marketing campaign. He performed in solely 12 video games earlier than present process season-ending surgical procedure. By the point he returned to well being for 2020, Gio Urshela had damaged out and staked a declare to the recent nook within the Bronx. Andújar was relegated to a depth position, bouncing between Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and New York as wanted however by no means showing in additional than 45 video games in a season.
Andújar hasn’t completed a lot in these transient stints to warrant extra common taking part in time. Relationship again to the beginning of the 2020 marketing campaign, he owns only a .244/.272/.346 line with eight homers in 327 journeys to the plate. That’s clearly not ample for a bat-first participant, however it’s honest to wonder if he’d have been capable of carry out higher if the Yankees had extra constant at-bats to present him. As an alternative, he’s been caught in one thing of a catch-22 for 3 seasons: by no means taking part in nicely sufficient to earn on a regular basis reps on a win-now group and thus not having a window of alternative to get again on monitor.
The fixed shuffling on and off the roster made Andújar a frequent topic of commerce hypothesis, and the 27-year-old has reportedly requested to be traded on a number of events searching for a brand new alternative. Whereas the Yankees had been open to affords at this summer season’s deadline (and fairly doubtless at durations earlier than this August), they didn’t discover a deal to their liking. As an alternative, they’ve stored Andújar round as a depth participant whereas getting him some extra expertise within the nook outfield along with his infield work.
The dearth of obvious taking part in time obtainable has change into so evident the Yankees now resolve to take him off the roster fully. With the commerce deadline having handed, they’ll haven’t any alternative however to put him on waivers within the subsequent few days. It seems doubtless one other group will put in a declare. Not solely has Andújar had some MLB success just a few years again, he owns a strong .285/.330/.487 line with 13 longballs in 297 Triple-A plate appearances this season. He’s solely gone down on strikes in 11.8% of these journeys, showcasing the mix of contact and energy that when made him such a promising offensive participant.
Andújar is making $1.3MM this season, however lower than $100K of that is still to be paid out. He’s prone to end this season with four-plus years of MLB service, that means he’ll be eligible for arbitration twice extra after this yr. That is Andújar’s ultimate minor league possibility yr, so he’d have to interrupt camp with one other group subsequent season or once more be designated for task.
As for the opposite gamers concerned, it’s a notable return for Britton. The veteran southpaw hasn’t thrown an MLB pitch this season after present process UCL substitute surgical procedure final September. That introduced a disheartening finish to what had already been a tough season, as Britton posted only a 5.89 ERA over 18 1/3 innings whereas battling a number of accidents in 2021. He has made eight appearances on a minor league rehab stint and now returns to the lively roster with rather less than two weeks to attempt to earn a playoff roster spot.
Britton is making $14MM this season, the ultimate yr of a contract he signed in January 2019. The 34-year-old is headed again to free company on the finish of the season. He received’t method that form of wage on his subsequent deal, however a powerful displaying down the stretch and into the playoffs may earn him just a few million {dollars} on the open market.
With Britton stepping in as a left-handed possibility for supervisor Aaron Boone, Peralta heads to the shelf. He’s had a quietly glorious 2022 marketing campaign, working to a 2.72 ERA over 56 1/3 frames whereas holding southpaws to a meager .155/.211/.211 line in 77 plate appearances. He’d be a pleasant situational weapon for the postseason, and Boone advised reporters this afternoon the membership anticipates he’ll be again earlier than the top of the common season (through Bryan Hoch of MLB.com).
