May 6, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Miguel Andujar (26) prior to the game against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: Toronto Blue Jays at Pittsburgh Pirates
(New York, NY) — The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that they have designated outfielder Miguel Andujar for assignment. It’s the latest disappointment for a career that really had traction a few years ago.
Andujar, 28, has hit just .161/.212/.387 in his 33 plate appearances over the past few weeks. He had earned that call-up with a .284/.364/.500 showing in Triple-A but wasn’t able to bring any of that production up with him.
He hit .297/.328/.527 for the Yankees in 2018, finishing second to Shohei Ohtani in Rookie of the Year voting. Unfortunately, he required season-ending shoulder surgery after just 12 games in 2019. Once he returned to health in 2020, the Yankees had filled his third base position with better players like DJ LeMahieu and Gio Urshela.
Over the past few years, he’s continued to hit well in Triple-A but struggled whenever given another shot at the majors. Since 2020, he’s hit .291/.346/.508 in the minors but just .237/.268/.354 in the big leagues. Since the injury, he hasn’t been the same.
Andujar has a week to either be traded or passed through waivers. He’s making a salary of $1.525 million this year, which could factor into how this plays out. While some teams might be intrigued by his past success and Triple-A numbers, they would have to be willing to take on his cash load.
