2 Former Top Yankees Prospects Sent to Triple-A
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A pair of former top Yankees prospects were outrighted to Triple-A on Thursday.
The Pirates sent Miguel Andújar to Indianapolis, while the Mariners sent Justus Sheffield to Tacoma. Both players were designated for assignment by their respective clubs last week, but no other teams took interest, so they cleared waivers.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Kevin Gorman reported that Andújar will receive a non-roster invite to spring training from the Pirates.
Andújar has had a hard time sticking in the majors since his sensational 2018 season earned him a second-place finish in American League Rookie of the Year voting. The third baseman was an extra-base hit machine for the Yankees that year, slashing .297/.328/.527 with 47 doubles, two triples, 27 home runs and 92 RBI.
But injuries, poor defense, a crowded depth chart and limited opportunities plagued Andújar in the years that followed. He made multiple trade requests with the Yankees, and the team designated him for assignment last September. That’s when the Pirates claimed the 27-year-old.
Andújar hit .250/.275/.389 over nine appearances for Pittsburgh. He’s slashed just .230/.257/.324 with eight homers and 35 RBI over 114 games since his electric 2018 campaign.
Sheffield, 26, has also struggled since a three-game cup of a big league coffee with the Yankees in 2018. New York dealt the southpaw to Seattle as the centerpiece of the James Paxton trade that November, but the Mariners haven’t gotten much out of Sheffield.
His best season came during the short 2020 slate, when he recorded a 3.58 ERA over 10 starts and 55.1 innings. But Sheffield has totaled just 45 games with the M’s, and he owns a 5.40 ERA over 183.1 innings with them.
The Yankees originally acquired Sheffield, a first-round pick in 2014, from Cleveland in the Andrew Miller trade.
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