Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are unlikely to be fit for Opening Day, and the Yankees have to deal with injuries once again.
With Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton both unlikely for Opening Day, the #Yankees outfield will probably feature Clint Frazier, Mike Tauchman (and maybe Miguel Andujar) flanking Brett Gardner.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) March 3, 2020
With these injuries, this allows for other players to have opportunities they may not have had before.
Clint Frazier and Mike Tauchman were fringe players, who may not have had a starting job come opening day. With Judge and Stanton out, like Bryan Hoch says in the tweet above, Frazier and Tauchman could be on the left and right of Gardner.
Brett Gardner was a free agent following the 2019 season, and the Yankees are definitely grateful they re-signed him.
Outfielder Brett Gardner and the New York Yankees are in agreement on a one-year, $12.5 million deal that includes a club option for $10 million, a source tells ESPN. First with the news was @GeorgeAKingIII.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 12, 2019
His signing was most likely a response to Aaron Hicks getting Tommy John surgery, so the Yankees would be able to have an established center fielder with Hicks out. Even if Hicks was healthy, the signing of Gardner is greatly helping the Yankees.
Miguel Andujar, a natural third baseman, has been taking reps in the outfield, and with the way the injuries have been hitting the Yankees, again, he may just end up playing in the outfield at some point.
From what people have seen, Andujar does look comfortable in the outfield, so it may not be the worst thing if he does play there at times.
Just watched Miguel Andujar do outfield work on the back fields. Looks comfortable. OF coach Reggie Willits said he has good instincts and has come a long way in a few short weeks. Said it’s not a matter of if he can do it, but when. Will was first OF game action this week.
— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) February 24, 2020
The Yankees have been hit with the injury bug once again, but these injuries, as of right now, are not as bad as they were during the 2019 season.
Hopefully it stays that way.
Featured Image: Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
