Former New York Yankee Continues to Crush Baseballs

Mar 6, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Oakland Athletics right fielder Miguel Andujar (22) hits a three | Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday, Miguel Andujar began his rehab assignment in Triple-A with the Las Vegas Aviators, marking his first game action since March 19. In that final game he went 2-for-3 with a home run and two runs batted in. In the two months since he has been recovering from knee surgery, and in his first game back he went 2-for-3 with a bases-clearing double and three RBI.

The road from his days when he burst onto the scene with the New York Yankees in 2018 to now hasn't been the easiest, and just last season he spent the majority of the year in Triple-A as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. The A's claimed him off waivers in November after he absolutely scorched the minor leagues in 2023, batting .338 with a .404 on- base, 16 home runs, and nearly as many walks (47) as strikeouts (55) in 103 games. He was a low cost option that the A's decided to take a chance on.

During Spring Training he continued to rake, batting .357 in 42 at-bats before he required surgery.

A's fans are hopeful that he'll be able to provide a bit of a jolt to the offense. In four games against Houston this week, they managed a total of four runs. The A's offense ranks 21st in runs scored (171), 29th in batting average (.221), 28th in OBP (.294), and 20th in OPS (.671). While the A's weren't expected to be a good team, their offense has been pretty inconsistent overall. They'll have an eight-run outburst, and then not score more than a run or two for a few games. Hence their recent struggles.

As of right now, it's unclear who's spot on the roster he could end up taking when he returns from the IL. Andujar is one of the few injured A's that has not been placed on the 60-day IL, so he is currently eligible to rejoin the club when he's ready.

It's tough to say what kind of a player Andujar will be when he returns to the A's once his rehab is over, but he has done nothing but hit since the beginning of last season. There is reason to hope for some of the promise he showed all those years ago to show up, at least in flashes, in 2024.