Giancarlo Stanton returns to Yankees' lineup; Miguel Andujar reportedly asks to be traded
Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton looks for his pitch during the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles in an MLB baseball game at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Giancarlo Stanton is in and Miguel Andujar reportedly wants out.
The Yankees activated Stanton on Saturday after he served the 10-day minimum on the injured list with ankle inflammation. Meanwhile, Andujar, who was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a corresponding move, has asked to be traded because of lack of playing opportunities, according to Hector Gomez of the Dominican Republic’s Z101Digital.
Andujar reportedly had the conversation with manager Aaron Boone on Friday, though Boone would not comment on the specifics.
“Last night was really difficult,” Boone said. “He’s been playing regularly for us. He’s been a part of us winning ballgames. There’s been other times that I’ve talked about in the last few years when [being sent down] has been needed that he’s probably gone down there and worked through some things and getting built up and things like that. [But now] he’s contributing and he knows that, we know that and just a tough numbers game, obviously.”
Andujar has played well in limited chances this year, hitting .268 with three RBIs in 12 games and performing more than adequately in leftfield after reaching the majors as a third baseman. Largely because of injuries, he has played in only 90 games since the 2018 season, when he came second to Shohei Ohtani in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. Maybe exacerbating the situation, Andujar has outperformed Joey Gallo, who went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in the Yankees' 3-0 victory over the Tigers and is hitting .173 with 59 strikeouts in 133 at-bats.
Andujar has asked for a trade in the past, according to multiple published reports.
As for Stanton, who last played on May 24, he served as the DH and batted cleanup Saturday. He doubled in his first at-bat, a ball that was caught by centerfielder Derek Hill but then popped out of his glove when he slammed into the wall.
Stanton’s injury won’t stop the Yankees from continuing to occasionally play him in the field, Boone said. Stanton, who came into the day batting .285 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs, has played 19 games in rightfield this year after playing in the field in only 26 games last year. Boone said the Yankees won't put him out there immediately, though.
“My hope is that it’ll be very similar,” Boone said of Stanton’s usage. “He’s still going to play a lot in the field. He and I are both on the same page with that. Now, when that happens, that’ll be the question.”
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
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