Miguel Andujar will make his season debut for the Yankees on Friday night, but he’ll be lining up defensively on the opposite side of the infield that he’s been used to for most of his pro career.
Andujar is penciled in as the first baseman for the Yanks, a position he has never played before at the major league level. DJ LeMahieu, who has played some first base with Luke Voit still injured, is playing over at third base.
“I was considering DJ at first and Miggy at third or vice versa,” Boone said. “And this is what I settled on.”
Andujar’s defense at third has been an issue for his entire pro career, posting a defensive runs saved of -21 during his rookie season, and he has been getting more work at first of late as the Yanks prepared to try him on the other side of the diamond.
“Kind of went back and forth a little bit on it,” Boone said of the decision. “Kind of like the alignment. He actually spent last week doing most of his work at first base, leading into the season when he went up to Triple-A and met the team, started there last night and moved to third. We kind of had him work there pretty steadily last week so he could get enough reps in case a situation like this presented itself, so we feel pretty good about him over there.”
The Yankees could use an offensive boost at first base, as Jay Bruce struggled badly before retiring, while Mike Ford has a batting average below .100 since being called up. Andujar ripped 27 home runs and 47 doubles in his rookie year, but suffered a shoulder injury and hasn’t been the same since. Friday will be his first game back in a major league game since Sept. 13 of last year.
While Andujar looks to find his way back at the plate, he’ll also have to settle in to a new position in the field.
“That’s something that certainly can be a challenge for some people, other guys can really thrive in that environment,” Boone said. “Miggy is a unique situation where he was essentially a Rookie of the Year his first year then missed a lot of time, and last year was up and down a little bit. I think it’s important for Miggy to play, and we have a need and know what he’s capable of, so hopefully he can come in and impact us tonight.”
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