Miguel Andujar became a Yankees fan favorite after finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Shohei Ohtani back in 2018. On Sunday, he was no longer a member of the team.
New York had designated Andujar for assignment earlier in the week after he hit .229/.250/.281 in 100 plate appearances this year. Sunday evening, the Pittsburgh Pirates were awarded the claim for the infielder/outfielder, who was a popular name banded about online in trade rumors as the pinstripes looked to acquire outfield help, like Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds, during the trade deadline.
In fact, during the season, many fans were calling for the right-handed hitting utility man to be given more playing time to help fill the gaps in the outfield. But he never seemed to win over the top brass enough for a full-time shot and was confusingly not traded at the deadline despite his past pedigree.
As a result, the Pirates get a no-risk trial on a player who has a .273/.303/.449 slash line to go with a 103 wRC+ and a 104 OPS+ in 990 Major League plate appearances. With Andujar under team control for another year, the Pirates can see if regular playing time will allow the 27-year-old to recapture some of the magic from his 2018 season.
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