New York Yankees: What is Brandon Drury’s role moving forward?
By Jason Evans
The New York Yankees activated and then optioned third baseman Brandon Drury to the minor leagues. What does this mean for him moving forward?
Going into spring training, the New York Yankees wanted to get a little more depth on their infield, especially at third base to give Miguel Andujar a little more time to develop. The New York Yankees swung a three-team deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays which landed them third baseman Brandon Drury. The 25-year-old won the starting job and was going to be an important piece of the club.
One night in April. Drury complained of a migraine and blurred vision and it turned out it was something he had been dealing with for years and never spoke up about. The New York Yankees and Drury believe they have identified and fixed the problem. He’s also been wearing special glasses to help him with those symptoms
Brandon Drury used glasses designed to brighten things up in the second game. Said he just got them today. After that grand slam, he likes how they’re working so far.
— Conor Foley (@RailRidersTT) May 12, 2018
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Drury is also staying in the minors because of the job that Andujar has done. He’s hitting .282 with a .754 OPS, three homers, 14 RBI in 33 games.
So what is Drury’s role moving forward? Well, I think he’d be on the club right now if the New York Yankees didn’t insist on carrying 13 pitchers. They currently have two long men, which did come in handy this weekend in their series against the Oakland Athletics. They are also without relievers Tommy Kahnle and Adam Warren, which when they come back will make their club even deeper out of the bullpen.
I think Drury will find his way back on the team at some point this year before September. Injuries happen and I also think that if they decided to go back to 12 pitchers, Drury would be the perfect guy to come up. Hopefully, while he’s in AAA, his vision problems get corrected and he continues to work on his game and be versatile.
Next: Groome to have Tommy John
Will Drury or Andujar’s performance this year make the New York Yankees think twice about trying to sign Manny Machado in the off-season? That remains to be seen, however, the New York Yankees continue to be in an enviable position of depth and that includes Drury.