Yankees may be a week away from getting Miguel Andujar back

The Yankees have done a good job keeping their season alive despite a rash of injuries, but they’ll still be ecstatic to see Miguel Andujar return.

Miguel Andujar isn’t the Yankees star to hit the Injured List this season, but you can be certain manager Aaron Boone will welcome him back to the diamond in open arms. If all goes according to plan, the second-year third baseman may be back in the big leagues next week.

Andujar is slated to play “four or five innings” in an extended Spring Training on Saturday. Assuming he doesn’t feel any issues with his injured labrum, Boone believes he could rejoin the team in “about a week.”

Even if Andujar doesn’t return quite that quickly, the fact that he’s already being permitted to play third base in any kind of meaningful setting is great news for Yankees fans. There were serious concerns about whether he’d need season-ending labrum surgery when he first went onto the IL. Getting him back in May would have easily fit into the most optimistic projections of his recovery timeline.

His return to the Bronx will present GM Brian Cashman and his front office with some interesting decisions to make. Gio Urshela has played an excellent defensive third base in Andujar’s absence. Recently, he’s started to hit the ball with authority as well. It’s difficult to see him returning to AAA after all he’s shown at the Major League level. Urshela’s ability to play multiple infield spots might allow him to move into a valuable role on Boone’s bench after Andujar returns.

With all due respect to Urshela, he’s a secondary concern for the organization. Getting Andujar back on the diamond is something that will be celebrated by team officials and fans alike. Everyone associated with the Yankees will be holding their breath to hear good news about Andujar’s injury status in the near future.