The struggling Yankee lineup is full of proven bats searching to find past production that they know they’re capable of, and Miguel Andujar certainly fit that mold.
Andujar was a rookie revelation for the Bombers in 2018, finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting after smashing 27 home runs and 47 doubles, but a shoulder injury in 2019 and a nerve issue during spring training this year has prevented the 26-year-old from rediscovering his groove at the plate.
But now, finally healthy and finding consistent at-bats thanks to a load of injuries elsewhere on the roster, Andujar is starting to show signs of his 2018 self.
Andujar took Tyler Glasnow deep on Tuesday night, his second home run in as many games to help the Yanks to a much-needed 5-3 victory, and continued a strong stretch at the plate that has spanned the last two weeks. Over his last 13 games, which has included 46 plate appearances, Andujar is batting .304 with a pair of home runs, his first two of the season. His long ball on Monday, also to right field, was his first homer at Yankee Stadium since 2018.
“Miggy at his best is a bat-to-ball, lot of line drives and does spread the ball around, and occasionally hit the ball with some power the other way,” Aaron Boone said Tuesday night. “So good to see him do that back-to-back days. He’s had some other hard contact in the last couple days, so good to see Miggy start to impact it a little bit.”
It’s a welcomed sight for Andujar as well, who has been a regular in the lineup since early May, something he’d been searching for since he broke out as a rookie.
“Thank God I’m finally getting the results I wanted,” Andujar said through his interpreter on Tuesday. “Hopefully I keep finding my name in the lineup and keep producing. I think the more I play, the more results I’m probably going to have.”
Andujar has seen 71 at-bats so far this season, nearly as much as the 109 he had in 2019 and 2020 combined. His role and his outlook have changed, as he’s primarily been used in the outfield, far from the hot corner at third base and seemingly far from the dynamic bat he flashed in 2018. But over the past two weeks, his swing has looked closer to what the Yanks saw from him three years ago, which would be a massive boost to a struggling Yankee offense.
For Andujar, he never felt his potential had diminished. He just needed the chance to prove it again.
“A lot of hard work and just waiting for the opportunity,” Andujar said. “I’ve always felt that given the opportunity, I would always be able to do the job on the field.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
