Miguel Enrique Andújar (born March 2, 1995) is a Dominican professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system u ...

and

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering sys ...

for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB). He made his MLB debut with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

in 2017 and played for them until 2022.

Early life

Andújar was born in

San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic San Cristóbal is a city in the southern region of Dominican Republic. It is the municipal (''municipio'') capital of the San Cristóbal province. The municipality is located in a valley at the foothills of the mountains belonging to the Cordille ...

Career

Minor leagues

Andújar signed with the

as an international

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

in July 2011. He made his professional debut in 2012 with the

Gulf Coast Yankees The Florida Complex League Yankees are a Rookie-level affiliate of the New York Yankees, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team is composed mainly of players who are in their first year of professional baseba ...

. He played the 2013 season for the Gulf Coast Yankees 2 and the 2014 season for the

Charleston RiverDogs The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Hi ...

of the Class A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

. In 2015, Andújar played for the

Tampa Yankees Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A followi ...

. He started 2016 with Tampa before being promoted to the

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the ...

of the Class AA

Eastern League Eastern League may refer to: Baseball in the United States ''Most recent leagues listed first'' * Eastern League (1938–present), a minor league established in 1923 and renamed Eastern League in 1938, at the Double-A level * Eastern League (1916� ...

. After the 2016 season he played in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fille ...

. The Yankees added him to their 40-man roster after the season. Andújar began the 2017 season with Trenton, and he batted .312 with seven

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 52

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the b ...

(RBIs), which were leading the Eastern League, through 67 games. Following a season-ending injury to Gleyber Torres in June, he was promoted to the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ( ...

New York Yankees

After playing in seven games with the RailRiders, the Yankees promoted Andújar to the major leagues on June 28, when

Matt Holliday Matthew Thomas Holliday (born January 15, 1980) is an American professional baseball coach and former left fielder who is the bench coach for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB from 2004 to 2018 for t ...

, the Yankees

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by t ...

, went on the

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. He made his major league debut as the Yankees' designated hitter that day against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs and a walk, breaking the Yankees' record for most RBIs in a player's first game. The next day, the Yankees sent him back down to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, so that he could continue to play every game as a third baseman. Following the conclusion of the RailRiders' season, where Andujar had batted .317 with nine home runs and 30 RBIs in 58 games, the Yankees promoted him to the major leagues on September 16. Andújar began the 2018 season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but was promoted to the major leagues on April 1 after an injury to Billy McKinney. He hit his first major league home run on April 17. On April 23, Andújar hit a solo home run against the Minnesota Twins, marking his 7th consecutive game with an extra base hit. Andújar joined Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle as the only Yankees to ever have 7 consecutive games with an extra base hit under the age of 24. On May 4, Andujar hit his first career walk-off, an RBI single to secure a 7-6 win over the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...

. On June 5, he hit his first major league grand slam. On September 29, Andujar hit his 45th double of the season, breaking the Yankees' record for most doubles by a rookie, previously held by Joe DiMaggio. With the Yankees, he batted .297/.328/.527, and saw the lowest percentage of fastballs of all MLB hitters (46.0%). He finished second in the

Rookie of the Year Award A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

balloting, behind

Shohei Ohtani , nicknamed "Shotime", is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher, designated hitter and outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional ...

. On April 1, 2019, Andújar went on the 10-day injured list due to a right shoulder strain. He was diagnosed with a partial

glenoid labrum The glenoid labrum (glenoid ligament) is a fibrocartilaginous structure (not a fibrocartilage as previously thought) rim attached around the margin of the glenoid cavity in the shoulder blade. The shoulder joint is considered a ball and sock ...

tear, but chose to rehabilitate the injury rather than undergo surgery. The Yankees activated him on May 4. He batted 3-for-34 before was placed back on the injured list on May 13. On May 15, Andujar was ruled out for the rest of 2019 after revealing that he needed surgery on his right shoulder. He underwent surgery on May 20. Andújar made his return in spring training in 2020, where he began playing as a

. He began the season batting 1-for-14 (.071) before the Yankees optioned him to their alternate training site. Andújar was placed on the injured list in early July 2021 with a strained wrist. After suffering a setback in his rehab, Andújar was transferred to the 60-day injured list on August 23. On March 22, 2022, Andújar signed a $1.3 million contract with the Yankees, avoiding salary arbitration. He began the year with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. On September 8, Andújar hit his first home run in over 14 months, going 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs. On September 22, 2022, Andújar was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Yankees.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On September 25, 2022, the

claimed Andújar off waivers. On November 18, 2022, the Pirates signed Andujar to a one year contract worth $1.525 million, avoiding salary arbitration.

Personal life

In March 2022, Andújar was robbed at gunpoint at his farm in San Cristóbal,

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

. Andújar was not shot, but he was beaten. A relative, however, was shot in the finger.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Andujar, Miguel 1995 births Living people Charleston RiverDogs players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Gigantes del Cibao players Gulf Coast Yankees players Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball third basemen New York Yankees players People from San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic Pittsburgh Pirates players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Scottsdale Scorpions players Tampa Yankees players Toros del Este players Trenton Thunder players