In the midst of Aaron Judge‘s chase for the single-season American League record in home runs, they designated utilityman Miguel Andujar for assignment.
Andujar had been getting lost in the Yankees’ crowded infield, as well as the outfield, with players such as Joey Gallo, Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Harrison Bader entering the fold, and was continually sent back down to the minors.
However, the Pittsburgh Pirates decided to take a chance on the former Yankee, claiming him off of waivers.
This season, Andujar has been limited to just 96 at-bats at the big-league level, hitting just .229 with one home run and eight RBI.
We have claimed INF/OF Miguel Andújar off waivers from the New York Yankees.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 25, 2022
Bucs Take A Chance On Andujar
This could be a sneaky little pickup for the Pirates, a team that is trying to build towards the future.
His best season was 2018.
In that season, he was the runner up for the American League Rookie of the Year Award behind Shohei Ohtani.
He hit .297 with 27 home runs and 92 RBI as the Yankees reached the ALDS and lost to the Boston Red Sox.
He just hasn’t had consistent at-bats, and he was never going to get that with the Yankees.
With the Pirates, however, he could rediscover his stroke.
He is still only 27 years old, so he has a ton of upside.
It could really turn out to be a low risk, high-reward situation for Pittsburgh.
If he gets consistent playing time, then he could find it again and emerge as a star, giving the Pirates another feared bat in their lineup to go along with Ke’Bryan Hayes, Oneil Cruz, and Bryan Reynolds.
We’ll see how it plays out for Pittsburgh, but if it works out, he could be a solid building block for their future.
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